Master of Darkness

by K T Kaye

“I said, transformation is all about imagining yourself as the being you want to transform into. When a werewolf thinks of their ‘normal’ form, they tend to imagine themselves fully dressed.”

  “Did he understand?”

  “He claimed he did but the dazed expression on his face made me think otherwise.”

  “Who’s Jason?” Jackson asked.

  “The Master of Darkness.”

  “Is the Master of Darkness stupid?”

  “Nah, he’s just grown up in the human world.”

  “How long have I been in lock up?” Angel asked.

  “Twenty days,” Roger answered.

  “I didn’t realise it had been that long, I just meditated through most of it.”

  “Well while you were meditating, we had Alex going all Roman on us,” Ethan grumbled, “His training is ten times harder than yours.”

  “Do any of you, oh no you wouldn’t have.”

  “Wouldn’t have what?”

  “Your phones. I really need to call Pops.”

  “Why?” Ethan sneezed.

  “Because the Pied Piper showed me something, one of his memories,”

  “And Pops was in it?” Jackson asked.

  “Yes, so was I.”

  “You were in one of the Piper’s memories? What was this memory about?”

  “It might be easier for me to show you.”

  The pack’s telepathic link also allowed them to share memories. Angel opened her mind and allowed the three wolves to enter. She showed them the memory the Piper had shown her. Once the memory finished, the wolves returned to their own minds. The four of them were silent.

  “That was,” Jackson started but he couldn’t think of the right words to describe how he was feeling.

  “I know, it’s messed up,” Angel muttered.

  “I remember when Pops and Tobias brought you home. Pops said he’d found you by the lake and that there were bad people after you. Tobias wanted to leave you at an orphanage, but Mum insisted that it was our destiny to protect you.”

  “The woman, in the memory, is that the same woman who haunts you?” Ethan asked Angel.

  Angel nodded, “She appeared on the base.”

  “What?” Roger exclaimed, “When was this?”

  “When we got back from Rio. I was in my room. My arm started to hurt. When I looked at it, it was covered in blood, which then burnt and dissolved into my skin. Then the woman started talking and this smoke entered my room. Next thing I know, I’m in the forest.”

  “She moved you? Who the hell is this woman!?” Jackson exclaimed, “How did she get onto the base!?”

  “That is the question,” Angel mumbled. They fell into silence. Angel’s mind wandered back to her oldest memory, waking up in the Night pack’s living room. She had woken up surrounded by strangers, in a place she couldn’t recognise. She hadn’t been able to speak. She had forgotten how to get the words inside her head to leave her lips. Roger had helped her regain her ability to talk. He had also taught her how to read and write as well as how to interact with other people. As Angel skipped through her reel of memories, she thought back to when she had first seen the woman. It had been on her first night with the Night pack. Angel had awoken from a nightmare. She had run outside only to find the woman standing at the forest border. The woman had smiled at Angel and had beckoned her to come closer. But Angel had remained still. Even though her memories had been lost, Angel had known, from the moment she saw her, that the woman was evil.

  “What are you thinking about?” Roger asked, waking Angel from her thoughts.

  “I was thinking about the first time I saw her. When she turned up at the border.”

  “On the first night? Yeah, I remember that. She just stood there, staring at you. It wasn’t until Pops came that she left. You were really odd when you first joined the pack. You had nightmares all the time, you were so skinny, and you hated being inside, if anyone shut a door, you’d open it straight away. I can remember it was hard for Pops to get you to come into the main house. You used to just sit and stare at the sky, all day and night.”

  “I remember,” Angel mumbled, “I need to find the seer. From the Piper’s memory. She knew that I was going to get cursed so maybe she also knows where I came from. The problem is I’m not allowed off the base.”

  “I’ll see if I can persuade the Colonel to let you leave,” Jackson assured, “If I’m with you, he might allow it.”

  “Because you’re the Colonel’s favourite,” Roger muttered.

  “The thing is, I don’t even know if I want to find out,” Angel sighed, “How awful must my life have been for me to stab myself and beg to die?”

  The Night quartet fell into silence once more. The werewolf brothers had been thinking the same thing. Whilst they were curious as to what kind of life Angel had before she had joined their family, they were also terrified of finding out. They each clearly remembered how badly broken and bruised Angel had looked the first time they had seen her. It had taken their mother and Roger weeks to get Angel to interact with the rest of the pack. Before that Angel had simply sat by herself, staring at the sky for hours on end.

  Ethan sneezed breaking the silence.

  “Bless you,” Roger turned to Jackson and changed the subject, “How was Italy?”

  “Great, don’t think we could have picked a better honeymoon spot,” Jackson smiled.

  “How did Rowan’s ‘lovely’ royal parents take it?”

  Jackson went silent.

  “You didn’t tell them!?”

  “What do you think? Or are you forgetting the small stabbed with a trident incident?”

  “It’s still funny,” Roger smiled at the memory, “So Rowan’s parents don’t actually know that you two are married? Oh Jack you’re in trouble!”

  “What do you think they’ll do, stab him with another trident? Or do you think they’ll have him executed?” Ethan laughed.

  “I can’t believe you got caught kissing the Princess of Atlantis,” Angel laughed.

  “I can’t believe the Princess of Atlantis would want to kiss you, let alone marry you! I mean, no offence Jackson, but Rowan is like a badass mermaid and you’re, well you’re pretty pathetic,” Roger teased.

  “Hey!” Jackson exclaimed.

  “I still think it’s funny that the King stabbed you with his trident. That thing is the crown jewel of Atlantis and now it’s got your blood all over it!” Angel joked.

  “I’m glad you guys find the fact that my parents-in-law almost killed me so hilarious!”

  “It is hilarious! The great captain of Alpha Squad broke perhaps the most sacred rule in Atlantis…”

  “What rule is this?” Ethan asked.

  “A princess of Atlantis isn’t allowed to be touched by an air breather.”

  “Really!? I didn’t know that, I thought they just stabbed him because he was kissing Rowan.”

  “You know there’s one thing I’ve seriously been wondering,” Angel smiled mischievously, “Jack, if you and Rowan have kids...”

  “Don’t say it,” Jackson muttered.

  “Are they going to transform into dog-fish?”

  “You said it!”

  “Dog-fish are a type of shark, aren’t they?” Roger asked.

  “I hope so, it’d be cool to have sharks in the family,” Ethan laughed.

  “Or would the kids turn into half-wolves, half-mermaids? Mer-wolves or were-maids?” Angel joked.

  “I vote were-maids,” Roger laughed.

  “Me too!” Ethan smiled.

  “Were-maids it is,” Angel turned to her oldest brother, “Jackson if you and Rowan have kids, they’re going to be Were-maids.

  10

  ‘The Past’

  Robert DRAGONHEART

  “Master get down!”

  There was a rain of arrows. I raised my hands and a crystal force field covered my body. I pulled Harry under the forcefield, but I was too late. Hit by an arrow, he stumbled to his knees and coughed up bloo
d before falling flat on his face. I knelt and checked his pulse. He was dead.

  “Poor soul,” I muttered. Getting up, I ran over the bloody muddy battlefield. There were bodies and limbs all around. I jumped as I heard a roar behind me. Turning I found myself face-to-face with a huge demon. It had white scales, deep red eyes and black fangs that dripped with blood. I pulled out my black crystal staff and pointed it at the demon. The crystal glowed. The demon shuddered and then exploded into tiny pieces, its skin falling like snow onto the battlefield.

  “Master Robert!” shouted a vampire. The vampire was tall with flowing brown hair and cold eyes.

  “Rose,” I greeted the vampire “We are running out of men. Where is my sister?”

  “She’s safe.”

  “Yes, but where?”

  “She’s at the camp with Edwin.”

  “Good. Pull the troops back to the rocks then ah!” I gasped, collapsing to my knees, “What have you done?”

  “You have trusted all the wrong people,” Rose smiled, pulling the dagger from my back, and baring her fangs.

  “What have you done to my sister?”

  “Oh, she’s bleeding to death in a muddy ditch somewhere.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I got to my feet and black mist exploded from my hands, hitting Rose in the chest. Rose stumbled backwards and then collapsed to the floor, as her body slowly crumbled to ash.

  Blood dripped from where Rose had stabbed me.

  I placed my hands over the stab wound and slowly began to heal myself. I stumbled across the battlefield.

  “Robert!” yelled a blonde-haired vampire.

  “Edwin, where is Victoria?”

  “Rose took her.”

  “Rose is a traitor and dead.”

  Edwin and I ran across the battleground, desperately trying to find Victoria. Suddenly Edwin stopped. He remained still for a moment, sniffed the air, then turned and slid down a ditch.

  “Robert!” he yelled from the bottom. In the ditch was the limp body of a small blonde-haired woman.

  “Is she…?” I started to ask but the words died on my tongue.

  “She has a pulse,” Edwin whispered as he pulled Victoria into his arms, “But it is weak.”

  “We must get her to the camp.”

  * * * * *

  Once we had gotten Victoria inside the warm tent, Skyjack quickly got to work. The poor creature had blood on his horn and mud coating most of his body. Victoria’s condition was harder to heal than anticipated. More healers were called in, and me and Edwin swiftly kicked out. I paced outside her tent as the moon began to rise into the blood red sky.

  “I should have never allowed her to come,” I muttered.

  “It was not your fault,” Edwin reassured calmly, “None of us could have foreseen Rose’s betrayal.”

  “Master,” Skyjack called as he trotted out of the tent.

  “How is she?”

  “Weak but she will live,” Skyjack announced before walking over to another injured soldier.

  “Thank you Skyjack.”

  Edwin and I then entered the candle-lit tent. Victoria lay, eyes closed, on the small bed inside. Discarded on the floor around her were blood dyed bandages. Edwin tensed at the smell but quickly composed himself. He walked over to Victoria and gently stroked her hair. At his touch, she opened her eyes and smiled softly.

  Victoria looked over to me and sighed with relief, “You are well.”

  “Indeed,” I muttered.

  “Rose is a…”

  “Rose is dead,” I snapped sharply. There was a pause then I asked, “What did she do to you?”

  “I am not sure exactly.”

  “Did she stab you or bite you or…”

  “She stabbed me but the knife,” Victoria paused, “It was strange. It was thin and crystal.”

  “The knife of the Order,” I muttered to Edwin who nodded.

  “The Order?” Victoria asked.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  “Robert, I have just been stabbed! I think I have the right to know who by.”

  “The Order is a group of paranormals that want to open the gateway between the worlds permanently,” Edwin explained, “They believe spilling your blood will do so.”

  “Is my blood capable of such a task?”

  “Of course not!” I snapped, “It’s a story, it’s never been proven.”

  “Eddie?”

  Edwin sighed, “It is true that there are properties in your blood that are different to others, and it is believed that a past Mistress of Light did indeed open the gateway with her blood.”

  “She did?” I turned to the vampire surprised.

  “It was a long time ago. About three Masters back. She was able to open the portal, but something went wrong, and it closed.”

  “Master!” called Tin, the Minotaur leader of the Emperor’s private guard, as he entered the room, “The Emperor wishes for you and Sir Edwin to lead a guard of five hundred men over the north border.”

  “The Emperor wishes what?” I asked getting to my feet. I led Edwin and Tin out of the tent.

  “Orders Master,” Tin proclaimed, “The Emperor believes that we can advance further into enemy grounds if we go over the North border. He wishes for you to leave at daybreak.”

  “Yes, but five hundred men…”

  “Lord David is taking the same over the South border and Sir Williams the East.”

  “And yourself?”

  “The Emperor and his guard will make a full attack on the demon camp to keep them distracted.”

  “But that is suicide! Surely the Emperor knows that.”

  “He does however this is the only chance we have.”

  “Yes. Tell Sir Holmes to get the men together. He can explain the situation to them. I need to see to my sister.”

  “Yes Master. Will the Mistress of Light be joining you?”

  “Not if I can help it. Goodnight,” I nodded to the Minotaur then turned back to the tent.

  “Are you truly not taking Victoria with you?” Edwin asked.

  “You think I should?”

  “She is the Mistress of Light. She is just as powerful…”

  “She is only a child.”

  “She is only three years younger than yourself.”

  “I thought you loved my sister so pray tell me why you seem so desperate to see her killed.”

  Edwin hissed angrily, “Believe me, Victoria dying is the last thing I want! However, I have been around in the times of other masters and Mistresses, so I know exactly what power she possesses. It is time you stop treating her like a child and let her fulfil her destiny.”

  “She is not going. I am sending her home.”

  * * * * *

  “Home? You are sending me home?” Victoria exclaimed.

  “It is for your own good,” I tried to explain.

  “Is it? Robert, you know full well that you cannot do this alone.”

  “I am hardly going to be alone with five hundred men fighting next to me.”

  “Robert that is not what I meant, and you know it! It is my duty as much as it is yours to protect this world!”

  “Enough! You are going home and that is the end of it.”

  “I am the Mistress of Light!”

  “I said that is enough! I am ordering you, go home.”

  “I do not take orders from you! What do you expect me to do? Just go home and sew while you fight in a war that needs us both!”

  “Victoria, I do not wish to argue with you.”

  “You would not have to if, for once, you actually listened to me!”

  “Victoria please just do as you are told.”

  “Robert!”

  “You will be leaving in the morning,” I stated firmly, “You will be under guard until then.”

  “You cannot…”

  “That is final!”

  * * * * *

  The cold air rippled through my thin shirt as I watched my soldiers prepare t
hemselves for the bloodbath which was to come. As Edwin saddled his horse, Victoria rushed over to him. I turned away as Edwin bent down and kissed her. I watched as the morning sun rose and wondered whether I would live to see it set. I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned to find Victoria behind me.

  “Robert,” she sighed, “Be careful.”

  “When am I not careful?” I joked.

  “Robert.”

  “I know,” I pulled my sister into a tight hug and muttered, “I know.”

  “Just come home.”

  “I will I promise.”

  “Do not make promises you cannot keep.”

  “I love you, my little sister,” I pulled away.

  “I am not that little…love you too.”

  “Now go to Sir Lance, he has the portal open for you.”

  Victoria looked as if she was going to argue with me, however she remained silent. Instead she simply smiled before walking away.

  “This is the worst part,” Edwin muttered.

  “Pardon?” I stuttered startled. I had not realised Edwin was stood beside me.

  “Parting with a loved one. It is the worst part of every battle.”

  “You can leave with her if you wish. No one will think any less of you.”

  “We are stuck in this mess together my friend, as much as you would like to get rid of me,” he joked.

  “I am serious, I know that she would be more upset if something happened to you then if something happened to me.”

  “I doubt…”

  “You can read her mind as well as I can. I have not been the best of brothers.”

  “I am not leaving you, after all who else would watch your back.”

  “Then we ride as brothers,” I smiled as I got on my horse.

  “Brothers.”

  * * * * *

  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