by K T Kaye
“Because A is the first letter of the Alphabet.”
“Exactly. Roger looked after Angel a lot when we were younger. He taught her how to speak and read and stuff. They’re really close because of that and that’s also the reason why there are a lot of false rumours about them.”
“Ah, you mean what Paris said about them being a couple.”
“Angel is the first female captain the base has ever had. Lightning Squad, under her orders, now has the highest mission success rating, which sadly means that a lot of people have it out for her. So you will hear lots of ridiculous rumours, Roger and Angel being in love with each other is perhaps the most common. Though some people believe that me and Angel are secretly married and have three kids!”
“That’s just…”
“I know, it’s gross. And that’s not even the worst rumour around. The worst one, and if you hear anyone say this, I want you to punch them, is that Angel killed our mum.”
“Why would people say that? That’s awful! Angel said that Mr Jet killed her.”
“He did. It was pretty nasty,” Ethan trailed off sadly.
“What was your mum like?”
“She was great. Slightly terrifying at times, but she was brilliant. In fact it was kind of funny, because my mum had always wanted a daughter, but she got six sons instead. So mum was so happy when Pops found Angel.”
“Six sons!? You have five brothers!?”
“I did have, I only have three now. Mr Jet killed them as well.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
I wanted to ask more but at that moment Alexander, Danny, and Sophie arrived. Sophie was the only member of the squad I had never spoken to. The fairy went and sat down next to Angel. They talked quietly.
“How come Sophie only talks to Angel?” I asked Ethan.
“She doesn’t only talk to Angel,” Ethan answered.
“But she mainly does.”
“Okay yeah that’s true. Angel and Sophie were roommates when they went through training. They’ve always been together. They’ve always been promoted at the same time and always get put on the same missions. they just work really well together.”
“Also they got really close,” Roger interjected joining in our conversation, “After they went on this mission that went horribly wrong.”
“Oh yeah the zombie mission!”
“Zombies? Zombies are real?” I asked as I felt the panic pit at the bottom of my stomach begin to rumble.
“Yeah they’re real and absolutely terrifying!”
“Zombies!?”
“Yeah. This mission, it was an absolute nightmare. Fourteen people were sent on it but only Angel, Sophie and Jin (he’s captain of Wildfire Squad) survived. The others had their brains eaten!”
“Brains eaten!” I squeaked, “Did you just say that their brains were eaten!?”
“Ethan stop,” Willow hissed, “Jason will have a meltdown if you continue.”
As I tried to calm myself down, I heard Fern ask, “What you got there?”
I looked up, thinking the witch was talking to me, only to find that her question was directed at the orange folder in Angel’s hands.
“It’s a case,” Angel muttered not looking up from the folder.
“A case? We haven’t had one of them for ages,” Elsa exclaimed.
“Didn’t you just get back from one?” I asked Ethan confused.
“What? Oh, no that was a mission.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Cases are the police jobs,” Elsa said as Ethan had shoved his mouth so full of sausages that he couldn’t answer, “We do a mix of police work, military work and undercover work. A case means it’s police work, like a murder or something along those lines, whilst a mission refers to military work. And if it’s undercover work, which is like spy stuff, then it’s referred to as an assignment.”
“So, what’s the case?” asked Ethan after sneezing.
“Bless you. An old friend of ours has shown up,” Angel smiled, “The Pied Piper is back.”
“The Pied Piper! As in the rat guy from the fairy tale!” I spluttered.
“Yes, he was sighted three days ago, in the city centre.”
“Hang on, just back up a minute. Are you telling me the Pied Piper is real?”
“Yes, the Pied Piper is real.”
“Zombies, ghosts, the Pied Piper, is there anyone else I should know about!?”
“Well,” Fern paused then continued, “There’s Neptune, the other gods, Big foot, Jack Frost, Mother nature, Nessie…”
“The Loch Ness monster is real?”
“Yes, but never call her that, she gets very angry if you do.”
“Right,” I muttered, “Santa and the Easter bunny aren’t real, are they?”
“Don’t be an idiot Jason, of course Santa and the Easter bunny aren’t real.”
* * * * *
The battlefield spat out its bloody children at us from all directions. The demons crawled through the mud, biting at the horses’ legs, pulling them down into the dark pits of hells mouth. The smell of rotting flesh and burning metal seemed to grow with every minute. The battle was only ten miles or so from the camp. We had been hit before we had even reached the border. The demons were everywhere and with each passing moment there were more of our allies’ bodies on the ground.
My sword clanged against the creature’s sword. The creature was tall and seemed to float just above the ground. Its only facial feature was a pair of milk white fangs. The creature held a long thin sword and fought with the grace of a ballet dancer
Our swords sparked as they drew apart. I tried to attack but was blocked. The demon’s speed was almost impossible to counter act. It never tired. I pulled out my crystal staff and slammed it into the demon’s chest. The crystal glowed but the creature did not crumble. Instead it stumbled backwards and roared angrily. I cursed, kicking the creature backwards. The creature grabbed my leg and threw me to the floor. The creature pounced on top of me and dug its fangs into my neck. I yelled and slammed my sword into what should have been the demon’s heart. Black mist escaped from its heartless body. I coughed and choked as the toxic mixture was pushed into my face…
* * * * *
I woke, headfirst, on the floor coughing and spluttering. I rolled onto my back and took a deep breath. I felt dizzy and sick. There was a pain in my neck and my ankle felt twisted. Slowly I pulled myself to a sitting position, placing my head between my legs to stop myself from passing out. That wasn’t fun. Another creepy dream…seriously! Wasn’t one bad enough? I looked at the painting of Robert Dragonheart; I was half sure that this dream was also about him. It was so strange. Was it a memory?
No it couldn’t be. Or could it?
No that’d be too weird for me to deal with. It must be, I reassured myself, my body’s reaction to finding out that the Loch Ness monster and other legendary beings are real. Yeah that must be it! That was a logical, and not completely terrifying, explanation. I got back into bed and fell back to an uneasy sleep.
7
‘The Pied Piper’
JASON
The arrow flew and landed perfectly hitting its target.
Bullseye.
Angel took a step back, smiling she turned to me, “See nothing to it.”
It had been three days since I had found out that the Pied Piper was real, and I was stuck in an archery lesson with Angel and Paris. ‘Nothing to it’ she says, nothing to it! If there was nothing to it then how come I hadn’t been able to even get close to the target! I thought to myself. While my sword fighting and shooting skills had improved massively during my time at the base, my archery skills were still practically non-existent! Angel handed me the bow.
“Do I have?”
“Yes,” Angel interrupted, cutting me off before I could finish. I took the bow and pulled an arrow out of my quiver. I pulled back the bow then released the arrow. I watched in dismay as it hit the ground faster than a dead bird.
“
Err, not bad,” Angel gulped down her laughter.
“Don’t lie Cap,” Paris laughed.
“Paris! Jason, it wasn’t that bad, but your form was off.”
“How come I can shoot a gun perfectly without trying but I stink, worse than mouldy cheese, at archery even with hours of practice!?” I exclaimed.
“Try again but this time straighten this arm and look at the target not at your hands,” Angel instructed. I tried again. I pulled the arrow back and released it. The arrow flew and hit the ground, far from the target.
“That was better,” Angel said looking at the arrow, “Again.”
Ten unsuccessful tries later I threw the bow to the ground.
“I give up!” I exclaimed.
“Would it sound cruel if I say I’m glad,” Paris laughed, “This has been painful to watch.”
“Paris! That is not helpful,” Angel snapped, “Everyone in my squad must have at least four weapons that they’re trained in. So far all you have is a sword and a gun. Gun, that’s it!”
Angel ran off into the weapons shed then returned moments later, with a cross bow. Angel handed it to me, “Try this.”
I looked at the cross bow. I had never used a crossbow before, in fact I had never even seen a crossbow before, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it! Whilst I was inwardly panicking, my body started to work on its own. I lifted the crossbow up, without realising it, and aimed it at the target. Before I was even aware that I had done it, I pulled the trigger. The dart flew and slit Angel’s perfect arrow in half.
“I knew it! You work best with weapons that belonged to the former Master of Darkness. Both your sword and this crossbow belonged to your past reincarnations.”
“What about the gun? That wasn’t a former weapon, was it?”
“No that was new, but the former Master was known for being an excellent marksman. You must have retained your skills.”
“So, I work best with the weapons that once belonged to the former Master of Darkness because I am the former Master of Darkness just reincarnated so they’re technically my weapons.”
“Jason, are you alright mate?” Paris asked.
I was the complete opposite of ‘alright’. I used to just be a nice boring human but now I was the Master of Darkness. A being who was supposed to be all powerful, yet I felt as powerful as a ran over hedgehog! Not only that but I was a reincarnation! Did that mean that the former Master of Darkness was me or was I him? It was very confusing and hard to understand. I was a reincarnation, but I look nothing like the other Masters. Robert Dragonheart was small and well-built whereas I bare a strong resemblance, I’ve been told, to a stick insect!
“Captain!” Elsa yelled as she raced over to us, “The Piper has been spotted in the city.”
Angel smiled and turned to me, “I think it’s time for your first case.”
* * * * *
Transylvania was not what I had expected. I had been expecting everyone to be wearing dark cloaks and for the streets to be dark, lit only by candlelight, however that wasn’t the case. The streets were bright, and the people wore a colourful array of clothing. Some people wore cloaks and long old-fashioned dresses however most wore denim jeans and t-shirts. And by people, I mean vampires, werewolves, witches, griffins, hippogriffs, giants (yes you heard me correctly I did say giants! And guess what, they really are giant!) as well as other creatures I couldn’t even begin to name. There were cars sharing the road with carriages pulled by horses and large elephants that had three trunks (one almost killed me as I was too busy staring at it that I forgot to move out of its way- luckily Angel dragged me away just in time). The shops were an odd mix as well. There were wand shops, werewolf grooming salons and vampire blood banks standing next to pizza takeaways and chip shops. It was certainly less gothic then I had imagined.
Me, Angel, and Elsa walked through the crowds towards a tavern called ‘The Unicorn and the Griffin’. The couple who owned the tavern, Freddie, and Bertie Johnson, had called the squad that morning saying they had spotted the Piper. Freddie was a tall skinny werewolf with a mock of brown hair. He was cleaning tables by the doorway as we entered.
He looked up and smiled, “You’re here. Look at you Angel, I swear you get prettier each time I see you.”
“Hi Fred,” Angel smiled, “Any sign of our friend?”
“He booked a room here under the name of Donald Smith. He’s on the first floor in room five but he normally comes down around lunchtime. If you could arrest him then it would be best as we have some vampires in the room next door who get very grouchy if they’re woken before dusk.”
“Okay, will do. How's things been?”
“Well last week two of our customers were murdered before they had a chance to pay, we should really start making people pay in advance! Every day you hear these stories about dead and missing people, gives me shivers just thinking about it! Me and Bert are seriously thinking of setting up fresh in the human world. Transylvania is just so dangerous at the moment.”
“That’s not a stupid idea.”
“The problem is we’d need someone to cover our shifts on a full moon and it’d be too dangerous to hire a human.”
“Well if I get fed up of being a captain, I’ll come work for you.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Freddie grinned, “Look, what am I doing? I should have these tables cleared by now. Stop distracting me and run along to the bar, tell Bert drinks are on me, just don’t get drunk.”
“We’re on duty!” Angel called as we headed towards the bar.
“Like that’s ever stopped you lot before!” Freddie laughed.
The tavern was a mix of old-fashioned and modern. It’s wooden furniture and large ale barrels made it look like something from a pirate movie, however its large bright pink drinks sign, and its glamorous array of weird cocktails quickly reassured me that I hadn’t stepped back in time. The tavern was quiet, only a couple of people were inside. There were a group of half-men/half-pigs sat round one table, a fairy couple at another as well as a, very drunk, satyr (half-man/half-goat) who was flopped, a drink in hand, on a sofa. Elsa pushed me through the tavern to stop me from staring. Behind the bar was Bertie. He was small, large, wore a pink shirt and had a scruffy ginger beard. He had his back to the door, so Angel tapped him on the shoulder.
“Angel!” he exclaimed pulling Angel into a hug across the bar.
“Not breathing,” Angel gasped.
“Oh right,” Bertie let her go, “It’s been nearly three months young lady, I was beginning to think you had dropped off the face of the earth.”
“That’s scientifically impossible.”
“Shut up,” laughed Bertie, “How have you been?”
“Busy. Elsa Sunday, you know, and this is Jason Dragonheart,” Angel gestured to the two of us.
“Lovely to meet you,” Bertie smiled shaking my hand.
“Jason is the Master of Darkness,” Angel explained quietly.
“I thought I smelled something different about you. There have been rumours going around saying that you had returned. It’s an honour to meet you.”
“Thanks but really it’s nothing,” I stuttered.
“Just embrace the honour,” Elsa smiled.
“Listen to fang-girl here,” Bertie said with a knowing smile, “When people find out you’re back well, expect people to act differently around you.”
“Why?”
“Because it always happens,” he answered mysteriously, “Now what can I get you?”
“Anything that isn’t alcoholic, we’re on duty,” Angel muttered as she looked around for the Piper.
“What did he mean? About people acting differently?” I asked Elsa.
“There are lots of myths and legends about the Master of Darkness. People say you’re a god,” Elsa explained.
“I’m not, am I?”
“A god? Well I’d imagine you’d know if you were a god or not.”
“True but I didn’t know that I was the
Master of Darkness.”
“You’re not a god Jason,” Angel interrupted, “You’re far too stupid.”
“Hey!”
“If you were a god, the entire world would be in danger, it’s bad enough that you’re the Master of Darkness.”
“Hurtful!” I exclaimed but Angel merely smiled.
“Don’t mind her,” Elsa laughed, “Angel only teases people she likes.”
“Oh, well I guess that’s okay then,” I paused for a moment then asked, “Okay I’m sorry this might be a strange question but what is your accent?”
“I’m French.”
“Really? Huh, you don’t sound French.”
“That’s because I died during the French Revolution.”
“You weren’t, you weren’t, how do I put this nicely?”
“I wasn’t beheaded! I thought that’d be pretty obvious! I was shot in a riot.”
“Elsa Sunday isn’t exactly a French name.”
“My birth name was Gwendoline Dominique Beaumont.”
“That’s a name.”
“I changed my name as Gwendoline makes me sound old.”
“You are old! No offense but your like over two-hundred years old.”
“I know but I died when I was thirty, so I sometimes forget that I’m actually two-hundred.”
“You’re not looking bad for someone who’s over two-hundred.”
“Well those anti-wrinkle creams really work,” Elsa joked.
“Okay,” Angel hissed, she was clearly bored of our conversation, “You two stay down here I’m going to do a sweep of the building and lock any backdoors.”
“What’s up with her?” I asked as Angel walked away.
“I don’t know, she’s been strange since Rio.”
“Paris said that Angel and Alex were, err, having an intense conversation the other day.”
“That’s nothing unusual. Those two often argue.”
“I heard that Alexander has been at the base longer, so why is he vice-captain and Angel captain? Not that I’m saying that I don’t want Angel to be captain or anything!”
