Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1)

by Lorenz Font

  I pulled my shirt back down. “What does that inscription mean?”

  “It is your name. Your father asked the assembly to name you Alpha when he learned your mother was having a boy. However, Cynthia wanted you to have a normal childhood, so she gave you a common human name.”

  “Did my father know about all of this? Gerald, I mean. Not Drenton.”

  “That is for your mother to answer.”

  Detherina led me back to the kitchen.

  “What about Shannon?” I asked her.

  “She will return with me to Tranak on her birthday. There, the stain bestowed on her by Axhatas will be purged.”

  “When is her birthday?” I asked. Funny, in all the time we’d spent together, I’d never thought to ask.

  “In four days.”

  I slumped to the floor under the weight of this revelation. “What about Dad? Where did he fit in?”

  Mom dropped to the floor next to me and cradled me in her arms. “He knew I was carrying somebody else’s child when he married me, and he loved you like his own. He wanted you to have a normal childhood and refused to expose you to your father’s people until we could no longer prevent it. We planned to tell you about your heritage together. He wanted to be here with you when you faced this.”

  Tears spilled from my eyes, and this time, I didn’t try to hide my grief. Together, Mom and I cried for the loss of a great man who had been the only father I’d known.

  “Was everything a lie?”

  “A lie told often enough becomes the truth. We did this for your safety and the safety of the people you will lead.” Detherina closed her eyes.

  “I’m sorry that you had to find out this way, baby,” Mom sobbed.

  “Did you know this was coming?”

  She hesitated. “I feared it might be. When you started getting into fights, I knew some kind of change was coming.”

  I looked at her and was reminded of that night she locked herself in the bathroom. “Was all this the reason Dad grounded me?”

  “He was hoping that if we were able to limit your association with the Aarmarks, your transition would slow down. I’m so sorry we kept you in the dark.”

  I nodded. It wasn’t an easy pill to swallow, but it wasn’t her fault that my destiny was taking a mean detour. Everything I knew and believed in had changed with the snap of a finger.

  “Detherina, I have one request,” Mom said. “Brian gets to stay here until after he graduates. That was Gerald’s wish, too.”

  Detherina turned to Matro. “You think you can handle the situation here until then?”

  Matro gave me a hard look, and then nodded. “The boy is a natural. With a bit more training, he might be better than Drenton. He was able to wound Axhatas. That is not beginner’s luck.”

  “Well then, we will get all the full-bloods here to help guard Alpha. You will be with him at all times.”

  Matro smirked. “Haven’t I been up till now?”

  It was time for me to speak up. “Wait, what? You mean you’ve been watching me my whole life?”

  “Never a dull moment with you, kid.” He laughed.

  “Do Mark and Darryl know anything about my real identity?”

  “No, it would have been too risky. They are human, which was enough to keep you safe. Your Tourette’s made it a bit easier to hide you. With a human affliction, the spawns of Pratrim wouldn’t suspect you at all.”

  All the suffering I’d endured had wound up being my saving grace. Well hello, irony.

  “What happens to Kevin? Is he a part of this?”

  “He was manipulated by Axhatas, I’m afraid, but he will not be a concern now. Say the word, and we’ll take care of him for you.”

  That took me aback. “We’re not murderers, you hear me? We’re not killing humans, ever. You do your thing in Tranak, but we will go with human morality here.”

  Matro bowed his head. “As you wish.”

  Mom took my hand. “We’re going to bury your father as soon as they release his body. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

  “I’m not leaving without you.”

  “I can’t come with you, baby boy. There is no room for me in your father’s world.”

  I shook my head. “There is no way I am going to leave you by yourself.”

  “I’ve been preparing myself from the moment I found out I was pregnant with you. The memory of you and Drenton and Gerald will always be with me, so I will never be alone.”

  All of a sudden, the revelations of the day became too much to bear. I felt my muscles tighten without warning, and all I could manage was to cling to my mom before the room spun out of control.

  Then everything went dark.

  “Curly? Are you okay?” Shannon’s voice roused me.

  I opened my eyes and found her staring down at me with a worried frown. We were in my room, curled up on my bed together. “What happened?”

  “Your mom called me. She told me that you passed out after you found out about your dad. Oh, Brian. I’m so sorry.” Shannon wrapped her arms around me and cried into my shoulder. “This is so unfair. Both of our fathers.”

  Still a bit disoriented, I hugged her close and tried to get my bearings. There were no words I could offer that would make any of this better.

  After a while, her sobbing stopped. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how it could be true.”

  I sat up next to her. “I’m sure Dad didn’t kill himself.”

  “If he didn’t … who did?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll be damned if I don’t find out.” I would stop at nothing to avenge my dad’s death, even if he wasn’t my biological father.

  Shannon nodded and fell silent for a moment. Then she said, “Would you like something to eat?”

  My stomach growled on cue, but I shook my head. Instead, I took the remote from the nightstand and started flipping through the channels until I found the news. No matter what I was going through, I hadn’t forgotten my dreams. I was determined to prevent the deaths I’d seen in my nightmare.

  The news anchor began addressing recent earthquake predictions and recommendations made by geologists. While several coastal states were mentioned, the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council had determined that no great risk existed in California. I remembered my vision of a long bridge collapsing, and I knew. San Francisco!

  I dialed 9-1-1 on my cell phone and didn’t bother letting the woman who answered finish her greeting. “I want to report that a huge earthquake will hit San Francisco. You have to warn everyone. People are going to die.”

  “Sir, we do not take prank calls lightly. I suggest you hang up now. Do not contact us as a joke again, or you will be subject to arrest.” Then I heard a click, and the sound of the dial tone followed.

  “She hung up on me,” I muttered to myself.

  “Curly, what’s going on? What earthquake are you talking about?” Shannon yanked at my arm.

  “Nothing. I just panicked when I saw the news.” How could I tell her about my dreams? Would she even believe me?

  “I’ve been having some strange dreams,” she said out of nowhere.

  I gaped at her. “What kind of dreams?”

  Her expression turned guilty. “The night before the dance, I dreamt that someone killed your dad. I didn’t really think too much about it when I woke up, but then I heard the news this morning.”

  “You dreamed about my dad?”

  Shannon nodded.

  “Who killed him? What did it look like?”

  “I couldn’t see clearly. There was this figure in a dark robe. All I remembered seeing was the hands—”

  “What hands? What did it do to him?”

  “It pushed something inside your dad’s mouth. It wasn’t really a hand, more like claws. That’s all I could remember when I woke up.”

  “Fuccccckkkkk!” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

  “What do we do now?” Shannon ran a shaky hand across her f
orehead, and her eyes were filled with fear.

  Rightful Heir

  Monday morning rolled in like a thick, sunless haze. Mom contacted my school first thing to tell them I’d be absent for the week. I didn’t mind not going to classes, but I was worried about Shannon. After a quick phone call to Mark and Darryl, I’d established them as her guards, and I knew that Car and Orida would be on hand to assist. I wouldn’t take chances with Shannon’s life.

  As usual, Mark honked the horn when he arrived, not at all concerned that he was waking up the entire neighborhood. I raced out of the house to stop him.

  “Dude, can the honking, will you?” I hissed when I stuck my head inside the passenger window.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair.

  Despite his apology, I knew he’d do it again tomorrow.

  Darryl looked up from his cell phone. “Are you okay, Bri?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “Have to help my mom make arrangements.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on Shannon.” Mark flashed a thumb’s up. “Car will be waiting by the entrance.”

  I debated whether tell them about my mind-boggling revelations from the night before, but I decided to hold off. Mark and Darryl had been dragged into this mess deep enough.

  “Thanks guys. I’ll text later.”

  Shannon came out looking bedraggled, which was a first. Yet she smiled when she spotted me and said, “I’ll call you.”

  Darryl switched to the backseat and let Shannon take the front.

  “Take good care of her,” I said, closing the car door.

  Darryl and Mark saluted.

  “We’ll come by after school,” Mark said and revved the engine.

  I waved them off, feeling a bit strange about being away from Shannon all day. I glanced at her house before turning back to mine. Once I did, though, I stumbled backward. Graffiti similar to what I’d seen at school was splashed across the front of my house. The same three circles were linked together, with a three-pronged spear running through them. The design was spread over the entire house in bold, red ink.

  There were a few other symbols that I didn’t recognize, as well. I looked behind me, but none of the people on the street gave any reaction. This must be meant for my eyes only.

  Rushing back inside the house, I passed my mom, who was talking on the phone, and ran to my bedroom. I rubbed Matro’s calling card, and he soon materialized. “I saw the markings out there,” he said, sounding distressed.

  “I don’t understand what they mean,” I said while I pulled out my chair and powered up my laptop.

  “They are telling us that they know about you. If we don’t get back to Tranak and finish what we started—”

  “You mean they’re giving you an ultimatum?” I interrupted.

  “They are talking to you, now. They work better here than we ever could, and they are manipulating not just minds, but the elements as well.”

  “You mean they will keep hurting the people around us?”

  “That earthquake might be prevented if we go soon.” Matro sighed.

  I threw my hands in the air. The fate of too many people lay on my shoulders. After living a dull, normal life, how was I supposed to cope? The whole situation was insane. There was a host of creatures after me, and somehow I was expected to lead a group of people who had lied to me for years.

  “The lies were meant to protect you,” Matro replied to my thoughts in a hushed voice.

  “If you expect me to believe anything you say in the future, you’d better not keep me in the dark anymore.”

  “That is the plan.”

  “What about my dad? Did Car find anything?”

  “Yes. He died of an overdose.”

  “He wouldn’t kill himself.”

  “He didn’t. There were marks on his neck that indicate it was a forced suicide. However, the traces are not visible to human eyes.”

  Too much death and too much information—my brain was short-circuiting. Without giving it much thought, I rummaged inside the desk drawer for my medication. My Tourette’s could take only so much, and I’d do more good if I were able to stay conscious.

  “The blackouts are caused by your ongoing transition,” Matro said.

  “When will it be over?”

  “The final phase will begin once you reach Tranak.”

  Darn it.

  Matro watched me pop the pill but said nothing. Within the next thirty minutes, I felt my muscles relax, and the wild thumping inside my chest slowed down to normal.

  “I’m going to drive Mom to the funeral parlor. Are you going to tag along?” I retrieved my jeans from the top of the hamper and marched to the bathroom.

  “I’m always with you,” Matro replied.

  I stopped in my tracks and pivoted on my heel. “Just like my own bodyguard?”

  “More like a personal trainer,” he retorted. “We have called on all those of royal blood to help us out until we can get you safely to Tranak.”

  “What can they do?”

  “They will help guard you.”

  “What about Shannon?”

  “She’ll be protected as well.” Matro sighed. “Look, this is real. You’re very important to us, to our people. We need you to lead us like your father once did.”

  “Isn’t that a tall order for someone who wasn’t prepared for it?”

  “Feel the power in your veins. Your tics will diminish by the day. Already you are able to hear things a mile away, even if you haven’t realized it yet. You can see things that a normal human doesn’t. It’s been there all along.”

  “How could I not notice any of that?”

  “You didn’t talk about the things you saw to other children, but every night, you would tell Cynthia and Gerald. Afterwards, I’d wipe your memory clean for the next day. Alpha, this is your destiny.”

  “Jesus, is my name really Alpha?”

  “The one and only in Tranak.”

  “So even my own name was a lie,” I muttered.

  “We did it to—”

  “Cut the crap. Whether you agree with me or not, this deception wasn’t fair to me or Shannon.”

  “It was not our decision. Your father gave the orders. We were only doing what he asked of us.”

  I considered this for a moment. “What was my father like?”

  “Exactly like you. Tall, serious, and strong.”

  “In other words, boring?”

  “Never. Your father was a friend to everyone. He died saving my family from an attack. I vowed to protect you with my life in return.”

  “Don’t you want more for yourself?”

  Matro’s face hardened. “The only thing I want now is revenge, but that is a conversation we’ll save for another day.”

  The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I’d had no idea of the amount of energy it took to make decisions like choosing a casket, flowers, readings, viewing hours, and the burial. A simple service would have been easier to arrange, but Dad’s family needed closure, and he had a lot of friends and colleagues who wanted to pay their respects.

  I just wanted it to be quick and painless for my mother. The process was killing her. It wasn’t fair that she was going through so much. Dad had been her best friend, and I knew that they’d loved each other deeply.

  Detective Sander phoned the next day. As I’d expected, they were closing the investigation and labeling his death a suicide. This didn’t sit well with me, but no one would believe me if I told them the truth. So I kept my mouth shut.

  I hated funerals. If there’d been any way I could have skipped it, I would have run and hidden. But my mom needed me so I sat in the front pew next to her and Dad’s brother, Uncle Ray, while Dr. Singer, my doctor and Dad’s best buddy, gave the eulogy.

  The cemetery was packed with friends, distant relatives, clients, and Dad’s co-workers. I wasn’t surprised by the huge turnout. Dad had been a beloved doctor in the practice he’d established. He had ma
de many friends throughout his life, and it was fitting that everyone should pay their last respects to such a good man. It was a relief to hear that most of them agreed that Dad wouldn’t have given himself an intentional overdose.

  It was around noontime when we reached his final resting place. Shannon hadn’t strayed too far from me all day, flanked by Mark, Darryl, and Car. A lot of kids from school showed up, which in and of itself was a shock. Detherina was on hand, and so were Orida and Matro. There were many new faces I didn’t recognize.

  Judging from the scent in the air, I figured the Ergans were present, too. Just when they were lowering the mahogany casket into the ground, I caught a glimpse of four figures in the distance, robed in black. When I spied Matro go rigid, I knew that he was aware of their presence, too. He gave Car a warning look.

  The weather in the past few days had turned chilly, and an unexpected rain shower began just as we were ready to leave the burial site. The downpour dispersed the crowd, the people scrambling back to their cars. Dad’s brother and I ushered Mom to the waiting limousine, while Shannon followed in another car with Elizabeth, Mark, and Darryl.

  “Uncle Ray, can you take Mom to the reception while I take care of some business?”

  His eyebrows rode up, just like my father’s used to do. “Sure, kid. Don’t take long.”

  Before I could close the car door, I heard the screech of Car’s motorcycle. Matro and the rest went running flat-out, but only I could see.

  “Mom, I’ll follow shortly.” I waved the driver off, ignoring her protests. With the heavy rain, it was hard to determine in which direction Car and the others had gone. I followed my nose, palmed the dagger inside my blazer pocket, and made sure that I had the kordag Car had given me.

  “Right behind you,” Matro said, tossing something to me.

  “What’s this?” I looked at the small black stick in my hand.

  “You’ll soon find out.”

  While we ran through the thick bushes that lined the cemetery grounds, we discovered the paved path that led to the dense mountain that bordered the property. I could hear shrieks and the heavy clash of metal in the distance.

  Then a whirring sounded right next to me before I had a chance to react, and a vacuum sucked us inside a cannus, where we found Car.