I jumped high in the air, summoning a red encrusted jewel handled sword. My mouth opened and I screamed as I brought that sword down toward Valcrum’s head. Valcrum blinked. The sword never touched him. My nine replicas and I flew back twenty feet and fell upon the ground. Ignoring the pain, I stumbled to my feet. My sword was wedged in a tree. I looked around at my other men. Valcrum immobilized all of them all in mid-air.
Valcrum will have to kill me. I will never stop. I tried to summon my power but Valcrum flew to me. He wrapped his hands around my neck. My chest heaved as I struggled against the hold he had on me.
“You think you are powerful. You are only as powerful as I deem necessary.”
“I will show you that you can be overthrown. Someone will hear of this day and rise up to destroy you.” I felt my veins turn dark, and immense power circulated through me. I pried his hands from my neck and shot a bolt of energy through his chest. Valcrum’s hands were back on my neck. His hand dug inside me and ripped all my veins from my body; within minutes he had separated the poison from me.
“You started the thousand-year war for your own means, now Lily is lost to you forever. You long for death but even in death she will never be with you.” He tossed me to the ground like a piece of left-over trash.
“No!” I hung my head. He’s too powerful for me to stop him. I removed my knife from my pocket and plunged it into my heart. Sharp pain surged through me as I sank to the ground. My eyes closed and I allowed my mind to drift to memories of Lily.
“Do you think you can escape through death? Think again,” said Valcrum. He lifted his hands and my body lifted off the ground. My wound to the heart started repairing itself. The pain no longer surged through my body. I could feel the warmth return to my limbs.
“You seek death, but death runs from you, Trevor. You are hereby stripped of your powers except for shapeshifting. You are cursed to live on planet Earth where Angels will hunt you for sport,” said Valcrum.
Valcrum waved his other hand and the sky parted and he thrust me downward. I felt all my strength leave my body as my powers left me.
Cade
The heat has not melted the ice around my heart. Why has Liam kept Letoya’s box from me all these years? I’m not certain I can handle the truth but now it’s staring me in the face. Maximus risked everything to hide in my room tonight, but that isn’t the part that baffles me. It’s his hope that crept in his eyes when he saw the box in my hands, which gutted me.
It was hotter than the fires of hell outside. Valcrum wasn’t a forgiving spiritual being, and once you messed up you were screwed. I often wondered if hell was really the place of eternal suffering or was Earth really hell. Here on Earth we exist and we die. Xundar is where life exists and happiness is imminent.
Shaking my head, I focused on my task. It wasn’t smart being out in the streets distracted. Tokyo Lane was empty. It’s only nine o clock, and the streets are deserted. I squinted against the bright halogen lights that hung in front of the stores. The beautiful red-lettered banners swayed in the wind, and the graffiti along the sides of the building didn’t distract from the beauty of this place.
The seediest part of town was my favorite. Everyone was less nosey and focused on self-betterment. Drugs and booze flowed through the air, which was the same in most low-income neighborhoods. When the government legalized cannabis, cocaine and booze it ended the drug wars. Every drug dealer was eliminated and drugs could be purchased from the government.
The government has everyone on lockdown, but the rebels still currently traveled the streets. The curfew ban applies to everyone that is not working for the government. It was not fair but the elders say fair is a place where you go to have fun. I think they’re right because there is no such thing as fair, here on planet Earth. Oh, how I miss Xundar. How can I blend in when I’m the only one in the street?
Glancing around the corner, across the street from Izumi’s Sushi shop, I see Derrick Grand. What is he doing on this side of town? Sliding further into the shadows, I watched him from across the street. He ran down the street looking over his shoulder every five minutes. The next building had stairs leading up to the rooftop. Something tells me I’m going to need audio. Normally I would fly but since the humans found out about vampires, we have gone into hiding in plain sight.
Running to the next building I took the stairs and climbed up. Tiptoeing, I stopped near the ledge and pulled out my phone. Derrick looked around and took out a cigarette. It was funny that drugs were allowed but not cigarettes. The advances in pharmacotherapeutics allowed the government to counteract the toxic effects of the drugs on the human body. The humans have become smarter and the vampires more dependent and scared.
A man stepped from the shadow. Who is that? His dark brown wide-brimmed hat covered half of his face. He wore a black suit. The hat wasn’t part of his outfit. This man didn’t want to be identified. He jerked his head to the right toward a black vehicle with the engine still running.
Picking up my phone I paused the camera to save battery. So far, I had not captured anything of value. Whatever they were doing they didn’t want anyone to see them. If I let them get away, I might never find out what they’re up too. The streets are clear because Derrick and his mystery guest had ensured it. I need to know what they are up too.
“I got eyes on them,” said Maximus. He emerged from the shadow behind the fireplace.
“I didn’t see him.” Where did he come from? My hand dropped from the pocket that held my phone. My eyes darted to the pretty china doll. I don’t know her name but she’s like Maximus’s shadow. She is unnaturally beautiful like a precious piece of porcelain and even more reckless.
She walked to the ledge and peered over. Her eyes narrowed and she bent low on her knees and fired something below. The car engine still hummed and their hushed voices were loud enough for me to hear them.
“That man has evaded me for four weeks. I will find out his identity tonight,” said Maximus. He pointed to the car’s gas tank. There were tiny droplets leaking. The car wouldn’t get far.
“He has something to do with her,” said Aiko. She holstered her gun and made a signal high above her head. The trees shook across the street, but the men didn’t notice.
“Who are you talking about?” Could this be over a girl? Maximus is a player but even he has better things to do.
“A week ago, I was out patrolling and saw a girl, our age. There was nothing special about her, so I didn’t pay too much attention. I was following a rogue vamp who had no business in our territory. The vamp decided to eat the girl, but she transformed into a fox and he couldn’t catch her,” said Aiko.
“You must have had too much to drink. Humans don’t have any magical abilities.”
“We’ll have proof soon enough. This doesn’t concern the vamps. I wasn’t going to tell you since I don’t trust you. We’re a team now, so like it or not we will operate as one.” Flinging her long black hair over her shoulder she took off a few seconds before the car door slammed.
“I’ll send you his photo tonight. Once I identify him you will be the first to know,” said Maximus. He took off running. He leaped in the air over the ledge to the next rooftop. It wasn’t long before he caught up with her. They slowed as the car turned and raced down the road.
The worse thing that could happen is for the humans to have special abilities. Humans were greedy by nature, and very conniving, manipulative, people at their core. Glancing at my watch I didn’t have much time. Whatever Derrick Grand was up too, Maximus would find out. I don’t trust Maximus as far as I could throw him but when he finds out I’ll make sure I do as well.
Running at top speed I jumped to the next building and turned right. There’s something about running as if your life depends on it. It’s a useful skill and it clears my mind. Five minutes later I arrived at Pratt Labs. Arriving in five minutes when it was two hours away felt great. Climbing through the top right south window I was in the lab. Humans seem to think i
t’s safe leaving high windows open. Too bad they live in a world with werewolves and vampires. For years humans have thought they know about vampires’ powers but they don’t have a clue.
The lab smelled like bleach. Some of the beakers on the last lab table weren’t clean. Someone had been working in here. I quickly opened the windows up. Several steps are headed this way. Glancing around the lab, there weren’t many places to hide. Jumping up, I grabbed a steel beam running across the ceiling. Running toward the end nearest the window, I crouched in the shadows, pulling up the multicolored bandana over my face. I froze when he tapped me on the shoulder.
Maximus smiled and pointed to the door. Derrick and the man walked through it.
“Are you sure this will kill the vampires? It’s not like we know a lot about them?” He followed Derrick to the last lab table and sat down in the chair. Derrick put on some gloves, grabbed a beaker with tongs and placed it over the fire.
Derrick is somehow involved in the attack on the vampires. Why? That low-down dirty dog’s father had begged for a peace treaty with Liam. Were they responsible for Corey’s death? “My father is sure that once the vampires are dead, we’ll run the world.” Derrick held up a beaker, with liquid that looked like blood. He picked up the syringe that had blood in it and injected a rat.
Derrick looked at his watch then stepped back from the rat cage. The white rat’s red eyes bulged out of its head. He toppled over and started whimpering. I looked at my watch. It was five minutes and the rat’s whimpers ceased. Tiny holes opened on its fur and it started having seizures.
“I still think we could learn a lot from the vampires before making them extinct.”
“We have. We learned that they aren’t as strong, smart or as determined as humans, and their conceit will be their downfall.” Derrick smiled as the rat bled out and stopped moving. He picked up the dead rat with a pair of tongs and showed the man.
“I’m not Donald Young if you try and swindle me you and your family will disappear.”
“You just keep the money flowing, and watch the show,” said Derrick. He tossed the rat in a black trash bag and tied it up. They walked to the door.
“How many people do you have working on this blood? What makes you think it’s safe to make it at the lab instead of somewhere else?”
“The vampires think we’re scared of them, so they would never think we would betray them. I have the best molecular biologist; her name is Claire Sand. She works on this as a way of curing cancers and saving lives. She’s passionate about saving people.”
“How does she think that? The rat dies in five minutes.” He frowned as he watched Derrick clean the beakers and sterilize them before putting them away.
“She was the one that found the loopholes in the immune system, and the biomarkers needed to target cancer to eradicate it. We used that knowledge to create IDS. The Immune System Destroyer attacks the vampire’s immune system from the inside out.”
“Here is four million dollars. Tell your father he has thirty days to show me what I want to see or the money stops.”
“The Vampires were right. Humans are weaker by nature but when you enhance nature, you take the weakest and make them the strongest. My father and I are making humans great again,” said Derrick. He held the door open for the man, and when the man walked out, he slid the money inside his jacket pocket.
When I could not hear their steps down the hall I turned to Maximus. “What are you doing here?” I hopped down from the ceiling and rushed over to the breaker, but it was thoroughly sanitized.
“I followed him here. I put a tracker on his car. I made sure I assign someone to follow him.” He held his hand over his open wound.
I frowned as the blood soaked through his bandage. “How did you get wounded?”
“I ran into some of those humans with special abilities that you don’t think exists.”
“Do you believe us now?” He held up his wounded arm.
Maximus walked over to the trash and looked inside it. He picked up a cracked beaker with a few drops of pink in it. “I’ll have Orion analyze it to see if he can determine its components. If we can figure out the components, we can make a cure.”
“You should be happy they’re trying to kill us. Why do you care?” I shrugged. The vampires and werewolves have never been the best of friends, but we haven’t been enemies either.
“Derrick must also be behind the strange shape-shifting creatures too. It’s not enough for him to be rich,” said Maximus. He pulled out his phone and texted someone.
“He doesn’t know about you guys so why would he need to enhance humans?” Humans didn’t know that werewolves existed and if things got worse, the vampires may have to depend on the wolves for help.
“People hate vampires, but they admire your powers. He must be getting paid to make super soldiers.” Maximus slipped his phone in his pocket and walked over to the window.
“Earth hasn’t been at war for thousands of years. This corrupt government drove this country into an empire of corruption.”
“You assume that the humans prepare for a threat, but they are the threat.”
I didn’t have any evidence to take back to Liam. At this point, I have more questions than answers. The humans want us dead. Can we go to war with them? Technically we can survive without the taste of human blood if we get blood from the animals. It’s like condemning a person to a life sentence of eating chicken. You can survive on chicken but occasionally, a porterhouse steak was needed.
“I sent you a picture of him. His name is Walter Higgins. He is a man who inherited billions from the oil industry.”
Instead of thanking him I pulled out my phone. It took a second for me to see the text and the man’s photo. I wasn’t leaving here empty-handed, thanks to Maximus.
“He’s apparently in politics, funding crooked Myron Grand Sr., but what is he up to?”
“Cade, life is full of politics. Open your eyes and you will see truth behind the veil. We are all just pieces on a chessboard.” Maximus jumped out the window.
After closing the window, I jumped down to the trees. I wasn’t sure if this place had surveillance, but I did not find any. The cool breeze felt great against my skin. I stayed in the trees until I was deep into the woods. When the fog was thick around me, I hopped from the tree. I ran all the way to the academy.
Climbing into my bedroom window I paused staring at the cardboard box. The moonlight shined in from the window on Letoya’s locket. Ignoring the stabbing pain in my chest I clasped it in my hands. Closing my eyes, I could still see her radiant smile when I gave it to her. My heart fluttered when I opened it.
Someone had replaced the photo of her and me in the locket. It now held a photo of her, Derrick and a little boy. He looked like Derrick. What the heck was going on? I slipped the locket inside my dresser drawer under my boxers. I headed to Liam’s office. Prior to my sister’s death, she was finally getting attention from boys. It finally dawned on her that girls who were tomboy didn’t get the attention she craved. If the baby is Derrick’s why did she allow everyone to blame Maximus?
Stalking down the hall I tried to calm down. Liam knew the whole time. He knew more than what he let on. Why reveal deep dark truths that you allowed hidden for years? Thrusting the door open I shut it behind me. The lights were off and I spotted him staring into the fire. Bright red bloody tears rolling down his face. He was holding Corey’s silver necklace. All my life, I’ve never seen him cry. I suspected he wept when Letoya passed away, but he didn’t leave his room for a month. I backed away slowly.
“I know why you’ve come. Yes, Nathaniel Cohen was Derrick Grand’s son.”
Trevor
I fell through the clouds as I passed realm after realm. There was no way I could survive this fall. I’m not sure I want to. Valcrum made me look like a fool. The worse part of all, he vowed that I would never see my Lily again. Screw Valcrum. I will find a way to be with my love one way or another. If we are apart in this
life, surely, I can be with her in the next.
I landed with a thud on an abandoned highway. My head slammed against the warm asphalt. Bright lights headed toward me and I closed my eyes bracing for impact. Crack. The tires rolled over my head before swerving to the right, losing control and ramming headfirst into the tree.
Blinding pain shot through my head. My neck snapped in several places and my head rolled off my shoulders. Five minutes passed and I opened my eyes. Why am I still alive? Valcrum cursed me. He is going to wish he had killed me when I am done here. My wound started healing and my head reattached to my body. My neck bones snapped into place, and the pain eased away.
Walking over to the yellow sedan, I saw the woman driving was impaled on the tree. She did not have a seat belt on. A few minutes later, I saw her spirit soar through the clouds to Xundar. I summoned my powers but nothing happened. The wind changed directions. All forty men including Dylan were thrown out of Xundar.
Things could be worse. I could be at the mercy of Victoria. Valcrum does not know it, but he has done me a great service. My lips curve.
“My love. You’re hurting my feeling,” said Victoria. How is that possible? You could have helped me with Valcrum and you hid. You should have helped me. I am stuck on planet Earth with the rest of these weak beings because you did not help me. Our deal is off. What can you do to me? I am out of your reach Victoria. If you go back on your word, then so do I. I will kill Lily very slow. No other person in Xundar will suffer more than her, and then I am coming for you.
I hate you Victoria. Kicking the rocks out of my way, I headed toward my men. We needed to stick together if we’re going to conqueror Earth. I am going to wreak so much havoc on Valcrum’s precious planet Earth that he will come down here to kill me himself.
Dylan landed on top of the last guy. The loud grunt of pain meant they were still alive.
Shape Shifter’s Demons in the Mist: Angel Academy Page 5
