by K T Kaye
“What’s up?” Fern asked when Angel hung up.
“Just a captain thing. I’ll see you guys later.”
As Angel sprinted out of the door, she heard Fern exclaim, “What’s up with her!? Angel doesn’t run…not unless free food is involved!”
* * * * *
Sadly Angel wasn’t running for free food. Instead she ran over to Hiroshi, Jonathan and Jin who had been waiting for her by the base’s border. The border was on the other side of the forest. It was a small field of green on which two white security buildings stood. The buildings were empty, and the grass was dry and brown. The area, which usually gave off a friendly welcoming vibe, felt cold and deserted. Angel stared at the large dome forcefield that covered the base. Interrupting its glittering waves of purple and blue was a large black crack.
“So this is how Jet entered. What exactly is it?” Angel asked.
“That’s the question,” Hiroshi sighed, “We don’t actually know. The border isn’t cracked. We’ve checked, we tried throwing something at it and it just bounces back.”
“If that isn’t a crack then what is it?”
“Our best guess is that it’s a portal. A portal that has been attached to the border.”
“If it’s a portal, then why aren’t we overrun with demons?”
“I don’t think it’s that strong. It’s perhaps strong enough for one or two journeys but not much more,” Jonathan explained, “The magical energy this thing is giving off, it’s dark but not powerful.”
“Do the other Captains know about this?”
“Ambroise is at prayer so William has gone to the mosque to get him. Jackson is telling the Colonel. And we all hate Axel, so we haven’t told him yet,” Hiroshi explained.
“Fair enough,” Angel muttered, “We’re going to have to guard this.”
“Speaking of guard, over here,” Jin led them away from the crack to where a coat was covering something on the floor. Angel knelt and pulled back the coat.
“Joseph.”
Under the coat was the body of one of the centaur guards (the one who had waved to Jason on his first day) that oversaw the base’s border. His face was covered in blood. His horse legs were broken, his human upper body bruised, and his tail had been ripped off. His cold dead blue eyes stared up at Angel, who was trying to decipher the demonic symbols that were painted around the centaur’s body.
“It looks like it was a team effort,” Jin sighed, “At first we thought that he’d been killed by a hell hound, but it seems it was actually a group attack. If you look at the ground, you’ll see they used Joseph’s blood to paint those symbols.”
“They killed Joseph together,” Angel hissed bitterly, “As some kind of ritual?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“The symbols aren’t a spell,” Jonathan explained, “I’ve checked. There more of a…I suppose you could call it a warmup.”
“A warmup!?”
“To prepare for battle.”
Angel swore under her breath, “We need to up the security. Ask the dragons to guard this border. We’ll get the sea beings to guard the docks and have the Griffins and Phoenixes watch from above.”
“Good plan,” Hiroshi agreed, “Make sure they’re paired up as well.”
“What do we do about Joseph?” Jonathan gestured to the centaur.
“Once the Colonel has seen and cleared this, we give him a proper funeral,” Angel sighed, “Even if we have to keep it quiet, we give him the send-off he deserves.”
“This border,” Hiroshi muttered, “It’s the entrance all new recruits take. I remember when I arrived meeting Joseph at the gate on the other side.”
“It’s also the only entrance that leads into the forest. Mr Jet must have known he wouldn’t be spotted if he entered here.”
“Why do they make the new recruits enter here? This entrance is so unprotected. Why don’t they enter near the main gate?”
“It’s because this entrance has the best view of the base,” Jonathan explained.
“Really?”
“Yes, it was designed so that the new recruits see the base’s ‘best side’. If they entered at the main gate, one of the first things they’d see would be the entrance to the cells, which might put them off signing up.”
“Ah, so they enter here so they think the base is cool.”
“What they don’t know,” Angel muttered, “Is that it’s actually filled with demon worshipers.”
15
‘Secrets’
Hell hounds.
Large dog shaped creatures that live to serve the devil.
The hell hounds were hunting a fairy. She was quick, but they were quicker. They caught her easily. They pounced onto her back and knocked her to the floor. She rolled over and shot at one of the hell hounds. Although a deadly beast from the deepest pits of hell was crushing her, the fairy’s aim was surprisingly accurate. The bullet made its home in the hell hound’s forehead. This, however, didn’t kill it, for they couldn’t be killed by anyone but the Master.
The hell hounds’ bit into the fairy’s skin.
The fairy screamed.
* * * * *
Sophie sat up suddenly. Her forehead dripped with sweat and her vision was blurry.
“Sophie can you hear me?”
“Yes,” Sophie muttered, as her eyes refocused, she found that Skyjack was stood in front of her.
“You’ve been unconscious for almost a day,” Skyjack explained, “Are you okay? I could hear you screaming.”
“I was screaming?”
“Yes. Sophie are you okay?”
“I need to get some fresh air,” Sophie felt quite faint. She went to get off the bed but the pegacorn stopped her.
“Not without a full examination.”
“Please I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“No.”
“Please Skyjack!”
“Oh, I’m such a softy. Okay, but only for a few minutes.”
Sophie was quick to leave the hospital wing. The sky was pink as the sun had not yet set. Sophie walked over to the grassy grove that stood between the hospital wing and the surrounding buildings. The fairy lent against a tree taking in the cold crisp evening air.
“Not dead then,” Danny got up from his spot behind the fairy. Danny had recovered from his injuries earlier that afternoon and had been dozing in the shade, before Sophie’s appearance had interrupted him.
“Clearly.”
“You okay?”
“Don’t pretend to care, demon-boy, it doesn’t suit you.”
Danny’s face turned colder than usual. “How do you know that?”
“You told me. I read your mind. That’s how I found out that you’re half-demon.”
“I have a barrier against mental attacks.”
“Doesn’t matter, unlike others I can still get through.”
“How long have you known?”
“Since the day we met.”
“Who else knows?”
“Well I’ve told no one, but that doesn’t mean others don’t know. Angel doesn’t know yet. That’s what you were worried about right?”
Danny cursed under his breath then, after a long pause, he hissed, “Well since you know my secret, you can tell me yours. Why did Mr Jet call you princess?”
“I have to go,” Sophie muttered, she quickly tried to leave but Danny grabbed her arm.
“I don’t think so. Start talking.”
“I really have to go I promised Skyjack…”
“Stop making excuses and start talking. What’s wrong, don’t you trust me?”
“Is that a trick question!?”
“See I don’t trust you either. Yet I’m currently stuck…no I’m not. I can just kill you. I can just kill you then I won’t have anything to worry about.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“If you believe that then you really don’t know me at all,” Danny pulled a dagger from his belt and pushed it against Sophie’s neck.
“I’ll just tell her that you were killed by one of Mr Jet’s followers.”
“Do you think she’ll believe that?”
“Why do you think I care what she believes?”
“Because I’ve been in your head. Angel is the only person whose opinion matters to you. She’s the only person you care about.”
“You know I preferred it when you were a mute,” Danny dropped Sophie to the ground and hissed, “If you don’t want me to kill you, start talking.”
Sophie stared at Danny. Although he had threatened to kill her, Sophie knew he wouldn’t do it. Angel would never forgive him if he did, and that was something Danny wouldn’t risk. Sophie didn’t have to tell him, yet she wanted to. For over two decades she had carried this secret with her, never daring to speak it aloud. But she had wanted to. She had desperately wanted to tell everyone. To get rid of the heavy burden that rested on her shoulders. Now she had the perfect opportunity. For while Sophie hated Danny, she knew full well that he’d never breathe a word of her story, not when his own secret was in jeopardy.
Sophie contemplated her situation for a moment more before she began, “Where to start?”
“The beginning would be nice.”
“The beginning? Well I suppose the best place to start would be to tell you that I wasn’t born, I was created.”
“Created? How?”
“What’s the easiest way I can explain this? Right, you know how two negatives always equal a positive in maths. Well it’s the same in magic. And that’s how I was created, two deaths spells hit each other exactly.”
“And the equal opposite to death is life. Okay, but this still doesn’t explain why Mr Jet called you princess.”
“It does if you think about it. Which two fairies hate each other enough to try and kill each other?”
“Well there could be loads.”
“That are royal?”
There was a moment of silence as Danny realised, “You’re the daughter of the Seelie queen and the unseelie king!”
“Don’t say that so loud,” Sophie hushed.
“Wow, you’re really not what you seem.”
“Look who’s talking, demon-boy.”
“Don’t call me that! Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be in a palace somewhere?”
“So technically speaking, a child born of both Unseelie and Seelie blood could unite the fey courts however...”
“The courts don’t want to lose power.”
“Exactly.”
“But why did they leave you alive? Wouldn’t it be easier for them if they got rid of you?”
“They did or they thought they did,” Sophie muttered. She watched the sky as a phoenix flew above their heads.
“They think you’re dead, don’t they?”
“At first the courts were interested in me. Interested in the powers I possess. Each side wanted to use me as a weapon. But then they realised that I have a mix of both their powers and that if I wanted to, I could take over.”
“So they decided that it’d be better for both of them if you died.”
“Exactly. To be honest I’m not sure how I survived. The courts were about to execute me when there was a flash of white light and I ended up in Portugal.”
“Portugal?”
“Yeah.”
“A fey princess, no wonder Mr Jet came to the base. Tell Angel who you are. Mr Jet came here because of you. He knows who you are which means he’s going to keep coming after you. You’re currently putting us all in danger!”
“I’ll tell Angel when you do.”
Danny hissed, “My secret isn’t putting anyone in danger!”
“Really!? We have a demon in our squad. What happens if one day you decide that one of us looks like a tasty snack?”
“Jason is also...”
“Jason is the Master of Darkness, you’re just a demon.”
“Maybe I should just kill you.”
“I would like to see you try.”
“Just how powerful are you?”
“I’m more powerful than you can imagine.”
“Prove it,” Danny smiled, “Take your best shot.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Scared to show what you can do?”
Sophie smiled slightly and her eyes glowed dark purple. A lightning bolt hit Danny’s chest. His chest began to glow, and a ripple of pain spread down his body. He winced but remained strong.
“Not bad,” Sophie walked around him, “Most people are screaming by this point.”
“I’m not most people.”
“Indeed,” Sophie clicked her fingers again. The pain intensified. Danny stumbled to his knees. Sophie clicked her fingers again and the lightning bolt returned to her. She knelt beside Danny.
“Not bad,” Sophie whispered, “But that was just a warmup.”
“Warmup? Ah!” Danny rolled over clutching his head as he felt his body burn from the inside outwards.
“It’s normally the aftereffects that kill people rather than the actual process,” Sophie clicked her fingers once more and the pain stopped. For a while Danny just lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Once his body calmed, he sat himself up.
“You are definitely more powerful than I had expected, you alright princess?” Danny asked as Sophie dropped to the ground.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I haven’t been examined yet,” Sophie gasped.
“If you haven’t been examined, then why are you out of the hospital wing?”
“I just needed some air. I had a dream. It was of a fairy getting killed by hell hounds.
“Your head sounds like a lovely place.”
“But it was me. I was the fairy…and I don’t think it was a dream.”
“Can you see the future?”
“I don’t know!”
“Well surely you would know if you could see the future or not.”
“There isn’t exactly a guide to being the daughter of the two most powerful fairies in existence! I have no idea what I can do. Paris?”
“Evening,” Paris greeted the pair as he walked over to them, “I’ve just been told to bring Sophie back to the hospital wing.”
“Sure,” Sophie got to her feet.
Danny watched as Sophie and Paris turned a corner. Then it hit him. How did Paris know that Sophie was in the hospital wing? Everyone had been told that she was on an assignment in Russia. Danny got to his feet and ran after them.
“Sophie get away from him,” Danny ordered.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” Paris asked.
“You are. Sophie get away from him.”
“What’s wrong with you Park? Do I need to turn you to stone? Sophie needs to get back to the hospital wing.”
“How did you know that she was in the hospital wing? You were told she was in Russia.”
“I’ve just seen Rowan…”
“Rowan is with the Colonel.”
“Well done,” Paris clapped, he took off his sunglasses. Danny and Sophie turned their eyes away. One look and they would be turned to stone. Paris grabbed Danny from behind and dragged him to the ground. Danny struggled against him, keeping his eyes firmly shut.
“If you have a plan princess, I think you should get on with it,” Danny shouted as Paris began to repeatedly punch his face. Sophie opened her eyes, raced forwards, and placed her hands on either side of Paris’ head. A purple glow surrounded him. Paris yelled as the magic sank deep into his soul and ripped out his most important weapon. His powers. Sophie cried out as she staggered backwards, covering her face with her hands. She stumbled to the wall and sank to the ground. Danny pushed the dazed Paris off him.
“Danny you can open your eyes,” Sophie gasped.
“What did you do? What did you do to me!?” Paris yelled.
“I took away your powers.”
Paris turned to Sophie; she was blind unable to open her eyes as she had no control ove
r Paris’ powers. The former gorgon grabbed her, shoved her into the wall and then punched her in the stomach. Danny stumbled to his feet. He grabbed Paris by his ginger hair and dragged him away from Sophie. Paris pulled out a knife and attempted to stab Danny. The attempt failed. Danny swiftly disarmed Paris, punching him in the face in the process. Paris stumbled backwards, blood dripping from his lips. Danny kicked Paris in the chest and threw him into a tree where he slumped to the ground, lifeless.
Danny panted, “You okay princess?”
Getting no answer he turned around to find Sophie slumped against the wall.
With an iron dagger stabbed into her stomach.
16
‘A Mammoth Sized Problem’
JASON
I vaguely remember someone calling my name.
At least I think someone did. To be honest I wasn’t listening. I was too busy trying to deal with the fact that Mr Jet had been on the base. Last night Mr Jet, the man who had murdered my mum, had been right in front of me and he had got away. I hadn’t been able to stop him. In fact I hadn’t really been able to do anything. I set him on fire, by accident, but during the fight I had been useless. If it hadn’t been for Angel, I would be dead. That thought had plagued my dreams. I had almost died, again! During the last three weeks, I had lost my mum, come face-to-face with a terrifying vampire (twice), had turned into a demon, had carried corpses (which was really gross and awful by the way) and had suffered from more panic-attacks then I had during the eighteen years I had lived in the human world! I was not okay! My head was a mess. I wanted to scream, and shout and cry. Cry a lot! Preferably whilst stuffing my face with a tub of ice-cream.
But I couldn’t do any of this. I had to act as if nothing had happened. Like there was no problem. This wasn’t easy as Mr Jet being on the base wasn’t just a problem, it was a huge mammoth sized problem! No it was more than that. It was a problem that was double the size of a mammoth, what’s double the size of a mammoth?
“Jason?”
I looked up. Araminta and Clover were staring at me.
“Yes, no, that depends on the question,” I stuttered coming back to my senses. I was sat, with Araminta and Clover, in the Lightning Squad living room. It was a cosy room with multiple chairs and sofas (in multiple colours) scattered around a large fireplace. A TV hung on one of the light pink walls whilst a large shelf unit, that was covered in tattered old books, hung on another. A battered rug lay in front of a small fireplace and blue fairy spirits danced around the lightbulbs. At first, I had been surprised by the small fey beings that seemed to live in the woodwork of the house, however Araminta later told me that these fey were friendly house fairies who loved organising and tidying-up homes. There were loads of them at the base. Practically every building had a couple.
