The League of Skull & Bones

by MJ Fletcher

  “Merric, this has nothing to do with you,” Nyla said.

  “Wrong,” —he pointed the short distance down the road to the sign for the Cantina—“no one makes trouble in my bar.”

  “We aren’t in your bar,” she said.

  Merric took a step forward and a wave of power rushed off of him like a tsunami consuming all before it. “This street is part of my bar. Do you want to debate that with me?”

  Her voice grew angry. “This isn’t your business.”

  “Do not test me.” White energy surrounded him and his voice boomed so loudly the windows around us shook and nearly shattered.

  Nyla stumbled backwards, pushing her Key into her pocket and looked down at me. “This isn’t over, Jess. I’ll get what is rightfully mine.”

  “Leave now while I allow you to,” Merric said with such authority that I’d have listened to him if I could move.

  “You’re making a mistake by choosing sides, Merric,” Nyla growled.

  “You Old Kind and your threats, leave before I end you.”

  Nyla turned and rushed off down the street.

  Merric took a knee beside me, his hand brushing the hair away from my face. He didn’t say anything. Instead he slipped his arms under my back and legs and hefted me easily off the ground.

  “I got you,” he whispered as he carried me back to the Cantina.

  I pressed my face against his chest and listened to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

  Entering the Cantina and passing by the people didn’t feel real. It was as if I was in a dream watching it unfold. Suddenly, I was in a room with a bed covered in white sheets. Merric was lying me down and as his arms slipped away from me, I reached out grabbing him, not wanting him to leave me.

  He leaned in close, his breath hot against my neck as he spoke, “I’ll be right back.”

  I closed my eyes for what seemed like a moment only to open them and find him beside me once again. He wiped a cool cloth over my forehead, and I felt his power swell all around me. A calm and serene feeling flowed throughout my entire body just as it had done the last time he had touched me. The call of the Artifact lessened to a distant whisper, and I reached out, pulling myself closer to him. It had been so long since I had felt so safe and protected. Not an ounce of fear prickled my skin. Nothing could disturb or hurt me when Merric was nearby. All my troubles seemed so small and far away and that was the way I wanted to keep it. I wanted Merric near me always.

  His hands slipped gently over my arms, and then he proceeded to cut away what was left of my burnt and tattered sleeves. When he finished, he ran a cool wet cloth over my tattoos where my scars lay visible. I was too tired to care that I laid there exposed and vulnerable. If my scars disgusted him that was his problem.

  He placed the cloth on the nightstand beside the bed and placed his hands over each of my tattoos. His fingers wrapped around each arm and held tight.

  “You used a great deal of power. You’re weak and the Artifact is still active. It’s a low ebb, but if you aren’t able to turn it off it will happen all over again.”

  What he was saying was all too true. I closed my eyes and the small voice called to me again. It grew louder with each passing moment and I was too tired to try and stop it.

  “I can’t,” I whispered.

  “I know you can’t, but I can help you.”

  His voice was soothing, almost like that of a gentle stream meandering through the woods. I could listen to him for hours and at the moment that’s all I wanted to do.

  “Okay,” I agreed without reservation.

  My body tingled as he activated his power. White light surrounded him and his steel grey eyes began to glow and swirl like molten metal, fierce and sublime. His face took on a serene expression, his breathing slowed, and the warmth of his tender yet firm touch spread across my entire body and seeped down deep into it.

  He was beautiful, powerful, and so very imposing leaning over me, but I didn’t feel threatened. And I didn’t care about his secrets or how much I could trust him. At this moment, he was my savior, and I didn’t want anyone else near me.

  The room around us faded to pure whiteness that seemed to go on forever. I was no longer lying down. I was standing in front of Merric, both of us floating in the white mist. His hands remained firm on my arms like a lifeline to existence. His power continued to pour into me and fill me, making me feel whole once again.

  The voice of the Artifact faded away, and there was only the two of us. Two souls connected in the universe and all its complexity.

  For a moment I thought I was feeling the scars on my own arms, but then I realized that my hands clung firmly to Merric’s forearms. I felt scars similar to my own. Not as many as I had, but enough to make me wonder how he had gotten them.

  Curiosity had me asking, “How did you get your scars?”

  His eyes snapped back into focus, and he smiled at me. “I was foolish.”

  “Please, I want to know,” I said even though I hated people asking me about my own scars, I needed to know about his. I wanted that connection with him.

  “I was part of a great war. Afterwards, I was a prisoner with my,” —he paused as a wave of pain crossed his face and his hands shook as he gripped me tight— “family.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said feeling his pain.

  His voice turned to a whisper. “It was long ago.”

  “Did the guards do it?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “When you are kept from all you know, it changes you.”

  I gulped, realizing what he meant. If it hadn’t been the guards where he was imprisoned who had scarred him that left only— “You mean?”

  “My family did it to me,” he said.

  “I didn’t realize. I’m so very sorry, Merric.”

  I had wanted to know about Merric. I’d seen the sadness in his eyes and since I had known sadness, I thought I could understand it. I was wrong. What had happened to me had been terrible, but I had always had family there to help me. Merric had no one, nothing.

  “There is nothing for you to be sorry for, Jessica.”

  “I still have nightmares about what happened to me,” I said.

  Merric tilted his head, those spectacular eyes watching my every movement. He didn’t speak, giving me time to decide if I wanted to continue or not.

  The words spilled out of their own accord and I didn’t care. I wanted to share it with Merric. I wanted him to know. “It was during the war. We were trying to rescue our friend when I got separated from the others and found myself surrounded by Gremlins. I’m a good fighter, and I stayed calm and fought back as they came after me. I knew my friends would never leave me. I just had to hold out until they got to me. But the monsters kept coming and with each attack they weakened me.

  “My cousin Chloe tried to get to me, but the Gremlins were too much, they overwhelmed me. I lost sight of my friends and was completely alone in the dark.” I stopped, the memories choking me. I was back in that grimy hole, fighting for my life and impending doom smoothing me.

  “You’re not alone,” Merric said squeezing my arms.

  I smiled, his touch giving me the courage to continue. “That was the worst part—the claws and the teeth digging into my flesh, so much pain. I thought I was completely alone and that my friends wouldn’t be able to get to me, and I’ve never been so frightened in my life. I’m fine with dying. We all have to do it. But dying alone with no one to help while you’re devoured by Gremlins was not to my liking.

  “I remember feeling one of the Gremlins cut into my side with its claws, and I brought my katana around and sliced it. But another hit me in the back and I lost my footing and went down. They were on me fast, and I thought it was over.

  “But something in me refused to give up, so I kept fighting. I might have been alone and about to die, but I wasn’t going out easily. So I fought like never before. Eventually and surprisingly, I fought free of the pack, and my cousin was able to reach me. I never told her
how my heart soared when I saw her. I went from the depths of despair to heights of pure joy in that single moment.”

  “You survived,” Merric said, “and that’s what matters.”

  “It changed me. I was the ‘pretty girl’ until then. It was how I had defined myself, always the best dressed and perfectly put together. Now I’m a killing machine that is covered in scars.”

  “It didn’t change you.” Merric shook his head. “Times, such as the ones we’ve gone through, don’t change you. They transform you into who you really are, down deep inside, the true you. You’re not a killer. You’re a warrior and you earned every one of those scars just as I earned mine.”

  “Maybe,” I said looking at the scars on my arms differently than I ever had before.

  He eased me against him and said, “Those scars make you more beautiful,”

  “Merric,” I whispered on a breath that caught in my throat.

  He leaned down and I leaned forward, lost in those magical eyes of his and his lips that were about to connect with mine. And oh how I wanted him to kiss. I wanted that kiss unlike any I’d ever wanted before.

  A boom rocked us and one of his hands released my arm. The room slammed back into view, the white nothingness disappearing. The Cantina rocked back and forth, and Merric let go of me and rushed for the door. He yanked it open onto chaos. Customers were screaming and yelling and huddling under tables.

  Merric charged out, and I was right behind him. Explosions rocked outside the building and several of the barmaids were huddled by the front door, using their abilities to keep it closed.

  “What is it?” Merric demanded.

  “A group of people showed up asking for her,” —one of the barmaids pointed at me— “we said she wasn’t here and they started attacking the Cantina.”

  “Nobody attacks my bar,” Merric said. He stepped forward, kicked open the door, and walked outside.

  Chapter 36

  White energy surrounded him like a halo as he walked outside. The power rolling off his body was unlike anything I had ever felt from him before. He was angry, and I could sense it in his abilities. They pulsated all around us. He strode forward like some invincible, mythical god.

  Two men raced forward with crimson weapons raised high and attacked. He leapt at them, his hands turned palms outward. The white light formed into sharp talons on the edges of his fingers, and he released a vicious roar as he slashed through their weapons. He came around for another attack and, this time, slashed the men across the torso, dropping them both in bloody messes on the ground. He wasted no time in racing after the other three ready to attack. I came up behind him amazed at his power and ferocity.

  He took the first down with one slice and the next tried to run, only Merric leapt through the air and pinned him to the ground with talons, piercing through his back.

  The last opened a portal and was about to run through it when I stepped up and used an old fashioned right cross to knock him out.

  His portal disappeared in a flash, but another opened a few feet away, and I turned to face a new assault.

  The crimson door swung open and Ronan stepped out. I smiled at the sight of him, relieved he was all right, and stepped forward to greet him.

  The roar came from behind me, and I sensed Merric’s power shift as he jumped over me toward Ronan.

  “Ronan!” I yelled trying to warn him.

  Ronan reacted, throwing up a shield and Merric slammed against it, his talons slicing across it. His attack was filled with fiery rage and unbelievable power.

  “Merric,” I raced forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

  He spun on me, his grey molten eyes glowing brightly. His hand swung around, his talons flashing at me as they raced toward my throat. I brought up my arm, activating the Artifact and creating a shield to block the attack.

  Merric pulled back at the last moment and shook his head as if trying to clear it. He stepped away and howled with such pain that it sent a shiver up my spine. He dropped to his knees and the white light surrounding him disappeared.

  “What the hell was that?” Ronan asked as he came to stand beside me.

  “Merric,” I said quietly walking toward him. I reached out my hand and touched his shoulder. He flinched and pulled away.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was cold as he stood and turned to face me.

  His eyes had returned to normal and his face was an emotionless mask. He glanced from me to Ronan and crossed his arms over his chest. I could feel the wall go up between us once again.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Fine,” he said.

  “You sure about that, mate?” Ronan asked.

  “Perfectly,” Merric said “and you must be?”

  “Ronan Sparrow, Jess’ partner.”

  “Of course you are,” Merric said.

  “Merric, what was that? What happened to you?” I asked.

  “It was nothing, a momentary lapse.”

  “You might want to keep that under control,” Ronan said.

  “You might want to watch who you talk to like that,” Merric warned.

  “Well, I’m talking to the animal that almost took my partners head off,” Ronan said stepping forward, and I grabbed his arm stopping him.

  “Knock it off both of you,” I said, “we don’t have time for this crap.”

  “You’re right,” Ronan said.

  “Did you get Mr. Slade back to the Guild?” I asked Ronan.

  “Yes, and I’ve been looking for you since.” Ronan sounded strange, so I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Once we had Slade, Nyla tracked you here. She went into full on assault mode. She has been sending teams after everyone you care about.”

  “What?” I asked, my heart slamming against my chest, thinking of my family and friends. “Is everyone safe?”

  “We had your grandmother under heavy protection. Your friends were all on alert and were able to repel the attacks...” his voice trailed off.

  “What is it?” I asked a knot grabbing my stomach.

  “It’s DeAndre. We didn’t get to him quick enough. His house was attacked. He was able to get his wife and daughter out, but we can’t find him.”

  Chapter 37

  “Where is he? Where?” I ran as fast as my legs would carry me through one portal after another. I had my earpiece in and was yelling into it as it crackled with Edgar’s voice.

  “I’m getting multiple signals, but if you follow the next two portal coordinates I laid out for you that should be his current location.”

  “Come on, Edgar.” I’d been having Edgar map out my portal jumps as I traced DeAndre’s power signature from two days ago.

  I’d left Ronan and Merric staring one another down as I raced off to find my mentor. I hadn’t wanted to do it. I had wanted to talk to Merric and find out what had happened to him when he had fought those men. He’d been like a wild animal, attacking without thought. But I couldn’t wait, I needed to find DeAndre and make sure he was safe.

  DeAndre was expending a lot of energy, which meant he could be involved in a running fight. I had been finding wreckage and multiple energy signatures every place I had tracked him.

  “Send the coordinates to Ronan and tell him to get his ass to me as quickly as he can,” I said as I stepped through the last portal jump and out onto a field of blue grass that blew in the wind.

  My senses went into overload at the amount of power being used. I hadn’t seen this much power being thrown around since the war. Apparently, I’d found the right place.

  DeAndre stood in the middle of a storm surrounded by a group of people, each attacking him from a different angle. He went down on one knee, holding his hand up in an attempt to keep his shield in place. He wasn’t going to last much longer.

  “No,” I said under my breath and ran forward.

  Without thinking, my powers instantly flowed through my body. Familiar warmth overtook me, and I let it take control.

  O
ne of the men turned and a smile spread across his face. He spun and I braced for his attack, but instead portal doorways opened all around them and they disappeared in a flash. DeAndre was gone again.

  “No!” I screamed.

  I skidded to a stop and lifted my hands allowing my energy to flow all around me. DeAndre had trained me as a Tracker for the Guild. And I wasn’t about to lose him now.

  The Universe opened itself to me as lines of power intersected where the portals had existed to where they connected between dimensions. There was enough residual signatures left for me to trace.

  I twisted my wrist creating a portal, opened it and raced through. Snow pelted me in the face and in the distance I saw a flash of crimson and I sensed another portal closing. I trudged through the snow surrounding my feet and let the warmth of the Artifact penetrate my body to counteract the bitter cold.

  I reached the area where they had opened another portal. The snow had melted away from battle, revealing dirt and stone beneath. A spray of red blood crossed over a section of ground and my stomach dropped. I needed to be faster.

  I calmed myself and concentrated once again. I searched the lines of energy that flowed throughout the Universe and found the correct connection and created a portal.

  A blue sun burned high in the sky of the new dimension and I stopped scanning the landscape until I caught sight of a battle in the distance.

  Hurry.

  I shook my head at the sound of the voice. I raced forward and caught sight of the glow from my arms as I allowed the Artifact to stay active. I knew where the voice was coming from and it didn’t scare me. It was more of a comfort.

  I had grown tired of my solitary life and wanted my friends back and somehow I knew the Artifact understood that and wanted to help me. But how the hell was that possible? I mean this was the thing that I had been scared to death would kill me and now I wanted to understand and control it.

  We can save him.

  I didn’t care where the voice in my head was coming from, if it could help me get to DeAndre, then I intended to listen to it.