Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1)

by Lorenz Font

  During halftime, while I was reviewing my pictures, a familiar and annoying voice spoke from behind.

  “Miss me?”

  I swung around to find Car, looking ill at ease with his hands in his jeans pockets.

  “Son of a—what the hell happened to you?”

  “I had a family emergency.” He offered his fist, and we bumped knuckles. “How much have I missed?”

  “A hell of a lot,” I retorted.

  He laughed. “I spoke with Matro just a few minutes ago. He said he’s unable to see anything here.”

  I nodded. “I can’t explain it. It’s like I know there’s something here, but my wires are all scrambled. I get bits and pieces, but I have no idea what they are.”

  A rumble of thunder roared, and the first drops of rain trickled down. I grabbed the protective cover for my camera and covered my gear. Car remained standing next to me, surveying the crowd.

  “What are you feeling right now?” he asked, glancing over at the fifty-yard line where Shannon was deep in conversation with Mr. Ax.

  “I see green clouds drifting in and out of the field. It’s very subtle. And there’s the sweaty stench again. It’s freakin’ weird.”

  “I’m getting that, too.” He sniffed hard, then continued scanning the crowd. I watched him for a moment before returning my eyes to Shannon.

  “What the hell are you?” I blurted after a minute.

  “I think Detherina told you already.” Car shot me a glare.

  “Bullshit,” I coughed. “You’re not a Binarian. If you think I’m buying that crap, you’re wrong.”

  “We can discuss that another time.” He motioned to the field. The band had finished their segment, and the team was running to take the field again.

  “Whatever.” I changed the subject. “He’s creeping me out,” I said, pointing to Mr. Ax.

  “Who?” Car followed with his eyes.

  “Him. There’s something evil seeping from that guy. I can feel it but I can’t explain it.”

  “Darryl?” Car asked with a puzzled grimace.

  “Bro, I’m not talking about Darryl.” I pointed again. “Him. The teacher standing next to Shannon.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? There’s only Shannon and Darryl.” Car said, sounding exasperated.

  Mr. Ax was standing next to Shannon in plain sight. As if on cue, our eyes met, and he saluted in my direction.

  “Him. Mr. Ax!” The noise around us started to get louder, making conversation difficult.

  Car’s eyes widened and shouted back, “Ax? Fucking Axhatas?”

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “Axhatas!” He pulled an unusual looking weapon from his jacket. “He’s one of the Pratrim leaders. No wonder Matro’s all freaked out and I can’t see him. We have hard time seeing him or the others away from our realm. It’s an advantage he has over us.”

  “You can’t see him right now?”

  Carionis shook his head and moved forward, pushing several students out of his way.

  “Where are you going?” I held him back. “What the hell is that in your hand? Is that a throwing star?”

  It was made of transparent metal or some type of glass. The shape resembled our version of hira shuriken—palm-sized wheel blades with six spikes—except Car’s weapon had black liquid inside. With its multiple sharp points, it looked lethal.

  “It’s called kordag and is our best bet for incapacitating him.” Car responded, shaking off my grip.

  “How in the world are you going to aim at someone you can’t see?” I asked. I was starting to panic.

  “I won’t, but you will.”

  “What? We can’t fight here. There are hundreds of witnesses.”

  “We don’t have much of a choice.”

  “This is insane,” I shouted above the clamor of the crowd.

  Car stopped and turned, his face menacing. “You think your presence alone can save Shannon? Bro, you better get your head straight. These beings … they’re going to kill.”

  That decided it. I realized I was willing to murder these creatures I hadn’t even known existed a mere month ago to keep Shannon safe. “Fine, tell me what to do.”

  “You’ve watched cartoons. Just do what they did.” He pressed the weapon onto my palm and pushed me forward.

  We jogged toward the sidelines. “I’ll aim wherever you throw for backup, even if I can’t see him. Matro’s already on alert.”

  My camera hung limp around my neck, and the crowds hooted and hollered around us. After another rumble of thunder, the sky opened, and rain came pouring down. Most of the spectators went for cover, creating instant pandemonium.

  We got close, but before I could launch the kordag, Mr. Ax seized Shannon by the neck and blew something in her mouth. Green smoke puffed around them while she struggled against his hold.

  “Watch out!” I yelled, causing several students to whip around. They stopped in their tracks, which made it impossible to get through without pushing them out of the way. Darryl sprang into action. He pulled Mr. Ax back, but Ax struck him in the chest with his fist, sending him flying across the grass. Then five Ergans appeared out of nowhere, running over the students who blocked their way.

  “Ergans!” I dug my feet harder into the ground. Car was already slinging one kordag after another, and Matro and his group engaged the monstrous creatures. Screams of terror broke out from witnesses, and they scrambled around, making it difficult for us to fight. “He blew something into Shannon’s mouth,” I yelled to Matro.

  “Oh, hell!” Matro cursed, veering in another direction to fight off an Ergan that was running toward me.

  Mr. Ax sneered when we locked eyes. I couldn’t hear what he said, but I understood the movement of his lips.

  She’s not pure anymore!

  Furious, I threw the kordag in his direction and was surprised at the speed of the weapon. My throw wasn’t bad either, although it only grazed Ax’s shoulder. Then just like that, he disappeared, and Shannon slumped to the ground.

  Am I too late? I had failed to do my job. Terror shot through me like a runaway train.

  “Shannon!” When I reached her, she was writhing on the ground. I dropped to my knees and pressed my ear to her chest. Good, strong heartbeat. I cradled her in my arms. “Shannon, please. Please say something.”

  Darryl moaned a few feet away.

  “Car, can you check on Darryl?”

  “Got him.” Car rushed over to him. Meanwhile, Matro and the others finished off the remaining beasts.

  The chaos continued, screams competing with the furious storm. The downpour soaked the students who lay scattered across the field. Frantic instructions from Mr. Delson came over the loudspeakers. “Stay off the field. Everyone get off the field.”

  Shannon groaned, her rapid heartbeat slowing down.

  “Hey, baby, say something.”

  She shivered in her damp clothes and peered through the haze of lingering green smoke around us.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, swiping the damp hair off her face.

  She nodded weakly. “I’m lightheaded.”

  I glanced at Car, who picked up Darryl like he weighed nothing and slung him over his shoulder. “We need to go.”

  “Let’s take them to my place. It’s less than a mile away,” Car said.

  “Where’s Matro?”

  Matro appeared by my side within seconds. He checked on Shannon first, then closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, he turned to the rest of his men. “Wipe out everyone’s memory. Make sure you cover every witness.” He led them away in grim silence.

  Mark came running to us with his helmet in his hand. “What the hell just happened?” he asked.

  “We’ll explain in the car.” Car began walking fast, his boots making sloshing sounds on the rain-soaked ground.

  I followed, with Shannon in my arms. “What is going on?” she asked.

  “You’ll be fine.” I brushed my lips against
her hair.

  “I’ll drive.” Mark offered. When we reached my car, I helped Shannon stand up. She leaned against the car door while I tossed the keys to Mark. Then we got into the back with Darryl, while Car took the front passenger seat.

  Car and I recounted the series of events for Mark. Once we had finished explaining, he shook his head in utter disbelief. “Are you trying to tell me that Mr. Ax isn’t human either? How come we can see him and Car can’t?”

  “That bastard is using mind tricks against us, making it difficult for us to track him outside Pratrim and Tranak.” Car heaved a sigh. “This is just shitty.”

  I agreed. Until we had Shannon somewhere safe, I wasn’t going to be able to process everything that had happened. Then I had an idea. “Matro!” I exclaimed, rubbing the rock-card in my pocket.

  Almost at once, a whirlwind surrounded the car, lifting us off the ground.

  “What the hell?” Mark shouted.

  “Relax. Matro’s taking us on a shortcut,” Car answered.

  In just a blink of an eye, we arrived at Car’s house.

  “House” was an understatement. The place was a fortress, set deep in the higher hills of Griffith Park. Secluded as it was, there was no way we could have found our way on our own. The moment the car hit the ground, we all spilled out of the car in a hurry.

  The walls and fences surrounding Car’s domain were made of gleaming metal. It looked like a movie set rather than someone’s home.

  “This is the only way we can stay hidden,” Matro explained, reading my thoughts. “Ergans and their leaders can’t penetrate metal. They won’t be able to catch our scent or hear our conversation.”

  I raised an eyebrow at this piece of information.

  “It’s a long story. We’ll talk about it another time.”

  Shannon looked up to me, ignoring the conversation going on around her. “I can walk.”

  It was obvious that she was way too weak to make it on her own. “No. Let me carry you.”

  I didn’t wait for her protest and gathered her in my arms. We headed into a long, dark hallway that led to a metal door, which was etched with a familiar symbol.

  “What does it mean?” Mark asked while we walked through it.

  “That’s the crest of Tranak. I’m sure you’ve seen it before.” Car flicked his fingers and the darkened room we’d entered was suddenly bathed in light.

  It dawned on me where I’d seen the symbol before. It was identical to the marking on Shannon’s neck.

  The house was remarkably cold—the metal must have had something to do with the abrupt drop in temperature. When we approached the last bedroom in the hallway, Car pressed a button on the wall. The door swung open, revealing a spacious room with a rather large bed in the middle that was covered with a black canopy.

  “Help her onto the bed.”

  “Is she going to be okay?” I asked, lowering Shannon down with extreme care.

  Rather than answer, Matro gave her a quick inspection once she’d been tucked in. Then he shook his head, his eyes flickering with rage.

  “She’s going to be fine, but I’m sure Detherina won’t be happy,” he said in a low voice.

  Car signaled for us to follow him out of the room.

  I patted Shannon’s arm. “I’m going to find something warm for you to drink. Just rest here.”

  “What happened?” Her hold on my hand tightened.

  “I’m trying to find out, okay? Get some rest. I’ll be back.”

  I followed Matro to another room, where we found Mark and Car sitting on a sofa by the fireplace.

  “Let me go check on Darryl,” Matro said, and left the room.

  I took a seat between Car and Mark. “Is Darryl going to be okay?”

  “Yes. Axhatas only pounded him with low-grade voltage. If he’d gone for more, Darryl would look like a fried chicken,” Car said.

  Matro returned. “Darryl’s fine. I gave him something for the shock.”

  I released a relieved breath at the news. “I want to know what the hell Mr. Ax meant when he said—”

  A swish of air blew around us, cutting me off and scattering embers from the hearth. In the blink of an eye, Detherina was in our midst. Mark shrank back, caught off guard by her abrupt arrival.

  “He got to my daughter!” Detherina’s eyes burned with rage.

  Dagger

  A fearful hush swept across the room like frigid air. Detherina’s gentle demeanor had been replaced by a ferocity that sent chills up my spine. I glanced at the rest of the men in the room, and noticed that even Matro appeared unnerved.

  Car managed to offer an almost inaudible response. “I couldn’t see Axhatas, your grace.”

  “Silence!” Detherina floated across the room toward him as if her feet weren’t touching the ground.

  Mark’s gasp was as loud as my pounding heartbeat. I pressed against the wall, out of the line of fire. “Keep quiet,” I murmured to him.

  “I gave you one simple task—to watch my daughter and keep her away from that creature. Now she is tainted.” If fury had a face, this would be it.

  Matro stepped forward, his head bowed, and spoke. “Detherina, you know Axhatas plays a dirty game. He’s using our inability to track him against us.”

  Detherina pivoted in his direction. I could see that she didn’t appreciate the interruption. “Did you train the boy?” She pointed at me.

  I tried to shrink inside my skin. I had to say something before she turned her wrath on me.

  “I—”

  In a heartbeat, Matro had moved to me and placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me from talking. “He’s had a little training. It’s my fault. I just felt that he needed more answers first.”

  The man spoke in riddles. I turned my head to look at him. “What are you talking about? I clipped Ax on the shoulder.”

  Detherina’s glare moved over to me. “Axhatas. You got him?”

  “Yeah. My kordag hit him on the shoulder before he disappeared. I’m not sure how much damage I did, though.”

  This seemed to appease Detherina. “That is good enough for me.”

  “Is there more stuff I need to know?”

  “There are many things you will soon learn.” The sting in her voice was gone, but her tone was still hard and forceful. “There are secrets that were kept from you, but I’m afraid the time has come for you to learn who you really are.” She turned to Matro. “You’re going to stick to them like glue. You will not leave his doorstep. You will not conceal yourself from them anymore. And I want you to arrange for all necessary back-up.”

  The rest of her instructions were spoken in a language I’d heard just once before. I stared at them, wishing someone would answer the questions that were swirling inside my head.

  “Yes, your grace.” Matro’s gaze rested on me before he bowed his head to her in reverence.

  “Tell Elizabeth to stay home from now on. No more posing as a clairvoyant. Also, find a way to get this boy ready to leave. Where is Shannon?”

  Ready to leave?

  “She’s resting in the bedroom.” Matro straightened up and led Detherina into the hallway, leaving the rest of us behind.

  Carionis looked like a wet puppy, pitiful and embarrassed. It was a solid minute before any of us uttered a word.

  Mark broke the silence. “What the hell is going on here?”

  My shoulder twitched once, and before I could brace myself, a barrage of spasms rocked my body and my mouth let loose. “Fuck! Fuck!” I bit down on my lip hard to keep the profanity from escaping. No one laughed. Car gave me one of those compassionate looks that I hated, but Mark knew better.

  As if Car knew what I was thinking, he cleared his throat and strode to a window that overlooked a whole lot of nothing besides the walls that protected his property.

  “There is much to do now that Axhatas has marked Shannon.” I got the impression that he was as pissed as I was.

  “What did he do to her?”

  “You
remember the green smoke?”

  I nodded.

  “Every single Aarmark becomes a target as we close in on our prime. When our enemy manages to spit that green smoke, it’s like a homing beacon. They will know her location anywhere she goes. So it’s going to be hairy from this point on.”

  “What can we do about it?” Axhatas spat on her? What in the hell did he mean? A few more jerks rocked my body, and I braced my hand against the wall.

  Car threw me a quick glance before returning his attention outside the window. “It can be reversed, but her days here are numbered anyway.”

  “Numbered? What the hell are you talking about?” I felt a surge of anger and fisted Car’s jacket collar, pinning him against the window.

  His eyes flashed, but he didn’t fight back. “She has to leave after she turns eighteen. I know Matro already explained the maturation process to you.”

  The thought of Shannon leaving made me want to cry. “What’s next?” I released Car and rubbed my temples.

  “You will graduate and finish your business here while Matro gives you a crash course on everything you need to know.” Car turned and looked at me. “There are things you will learn about yourself that will change everything you believe about your life.”

  I smacked my palm against my forehead in frustration. “What are you talking about? You know I’m getting sick of all these vague hints.”

  “I’m not at a liberty to say. Detherina has ordered Matro to fill you in.” The earlier rage I’d seen in his eyes made way to gloom. “Just brace yourself. It will change you.”

  With a sigh, I turned on my heel and sat down next to Mark. “I guess all I can do is wait for the ‘right’ time.” I muttered with as much sarcasm as I could muster.

  “I wish I could offer you answers, but I would only confuse you more,” Car said.

  Mark was fidgeting in his seat, something he hadn’t done before. ‘Mr. Cool’ was acting like he was ready to bolt.

  “If you can’t offer answers about me, why don’t you tell me what you really are.”