by Hayden, Sean
“Do you seek knowledge? Is that where your strength lies?”
One word popped into my head: Algebra. “No, my lord. Learning nor wisdom has ever been my strength. I seek to make the world better. I wish to protect.” Again the words flowed of their own volition. Too bad public speaking wasn’t a calling of the Fallen. I could get used to this.
“Then perhaps Reaper or Warrior would better suit your talents. What say you, brothers?” He turned to face the two Fallen seated to his right.
“It is true. He reaped a soul so embedded in its body that even I had difficulty pulling it from its mortal coil. I would be willing to take him in and guide him,” Darius replied.
“I would have to test him before drawing him into my legion of warriors,” the other replied.
“It is your choice. Would you taste his blade now?”
“I would,” the enormous Fallen replied with a nod as he stood. I didn’t like the sound of it.
“Oh shit,” Clarisse whispered from behind me, not filling me with a warm and fuzzy feeling at all.
“What?” I turned and asked her.
“Fight!”
I spun and saw the downward arc of the giant’s blade. Without thinking, my black blades appeared and crossed to stop me from being split into equal parts of Connor.
Instead of being impressed by my blocking ability, he swung his sword to the side and back again, trying to slash me in half just under my arms.
I wielded two swords. Since the attack was from the side, using both blades to block would have been impossible without turning my body. I knew instinctively that to open one side of my body with no protection would be inviting certain death. I also didn’t have a rat’s chance in a crazy cat lady’s house of blocking his massive sword with just one of mine. My body took over and, instead of blocking his attack, my blade met his and slowed it down, giving me the opportunity to jump back. As his blade swept past me, I closed the distance between us and brought both my blades down in a sweeping arc toward his thigh.
Just as my blades were about to connect, they disappeared.
“Enough, Lord Jun. What say you?”
“He would be welcome in our ranks,” he replied and made his way back to his throne, not even breathing heavy. I, on the other hand, was shitting kittens.
Lord Agravius stood and walked down to the floor before us. “And what say you, young Fallen. Which is it you would prefer? Would you wish to rid your world of souls who have forsaken the rules set before them? Or would you prefer to be a warrior, should the need arise?”
I thought about it. Pros and cons flittered across my mind at flurrying speed. The thought of consistently pulling souls from humans rather turned my stomach. The thought of weapons training, strategy, and fighting also made me a little sick. I didn’t want to do either.
I opened my mouth to tell him so, but that is not what came out. “I wish to join Darius. I know not if I could dedicate myself to the warrior’s life. Perhaps in time, but not at this moment.”
He nodded as if expecting my answer.
“So shall it be. Darius, he is yours,” he said and returned to his throne.
“My lord,” Clarisse spoke from behind me, “we have another issue at hand. I seek your counsel for a solution.”
“What is it, child?”
“Connor has an unwieldy amount of power. He cannot seem to control it. It became apparent when his duties as a Seeker caused problems. There have been a few other instances, but none so clear as today. He caused damage to a human’s property and tried to use his power to repair the damage. The first time he tried caused the metal to burn. I recommended trying to control the amount of power he was using, and he did. However, he was unsuccessful and caused further damage to the property.”
“I see. Apparently I resumed my seat too early,” he replied and stood once again, crossing the distance behind us. “Hold out your hand, young Fallen,” he said when he once again stood before me.
I did as he asked and he grasped my hand in both of his. I could feel his power silently radiating off of him. “What should I do, my lord?”
“Pretend that I am the Volkswagen you inadvertently damaged while gazing at the flesh of young Clarisse.”
I coughed in embarrassment, not really wanting Clarisse to know that particular piece of information. “I um…”
“Don’t be silly, youngest one. If she did not want you to stare, she would not dress as she does. She does so for your embarrassment as well as your enjoyment, even though she would never admit it. Now. Pretend that I am damaged. Smooth out my damaged metal.”
I did as he asked. I pictured the crinkled metal and let my power trickle out, smoothing it as it once was. There was a sizzle of burning flesh, the smell of smoke, and a sharp intake of breath as Lord Agravius quickly let go of my hand. “I see your point, Clarisse. Take the youngling back to his native world. You will continue with his instruction to the best of your ability. I will send…reinforcements.” He turned and looked back at the dais. “Good luck with your new charge, Lord Darius,” he said and strode from the room.
Chapter 4
We fell from the sky above our training clearing. There were no humans about to witness us, so we had no reason to hide. We flew in lazy circles and finally landed in the soft grass.
I didn’t know what to say to Clarisse. I was still embarrassed from the comments the wizened Fallen had made about Clarisse’s outfit and my enjoyment of it. She spared me from having to think of something to say. She opted for making things worse.
“Did you really crash your scooter because you were checking out my boobs?”
I could feel the heat creeping up my face from the vicinity of my neck. I couldn’t believe she said that. “Er… Um. Shut up. You wore that on purpose.”
She started laughing and the sound filled the clearing. “Maybe. You ready to train?”
“For what?”
“Well, I can’t train you to Reap, so weapons practice or controlling your powers?”
“What time is it?”
She glanced down at the thin metal band on her wrist. “Ten in the morning.”
“Shit. I’ve got to go. I promised Jessie I would be there when she woke up!”
I tried to ignore the look of disappointment on Clarisse’s face. “Okay,” she said weakly. “I’ve got to get to work anyway. Find me tonight and we’ll continue.”
“You got it,” I said and called my scooter back to reality.
I glanced over my shoulder as I pulled away and saw Clarisse still standing in the middle of the clearing obviously lost in thought. The idea of that kind of scared me. I briefly wondered what she could possibly be thinking about as my tire briefly skidded in the dirt. I quickly regained control and forgot about Clarisse, eager to see Jessie as soon as possible without wrecking again.
* * *
Thankfully, visiting hours were open and I didn’t have to mind magic the nurse to get to see my girlfriend. I peeked around the doorframe to see if Mr. James was in the room. Letting out a sigh of relief, I didn’t see him in his usual position in the ugly green plastic chair by her bed. He might not hate me anymore, but he was still a big bad scary Chosen. Being mortal enemies put a serious damper on our relationship.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said and entered her private hospital room.
“Hey, yourself,” she said with a smile and looked at me.
Jessie was Nephalim, or one of the Cursed. Her mother was human and her father was one of the Chosen. A Nephalim’s life was always riddled with misfortune until they became either one of the Chosen or died. It worked the same for the offspring of a Fallen and a human, too.
One of Jessie’s many misfortunes was that she had been blind for almost five years. When her body healed itself, it also restored her sight. Neither her father, nor I, knew why she had been made whole again. I was just thankful she could see. She’d had her sight back for all of twenty-four hours and she had yet to run away screaming from me.
&nb
sp; I crossed the room rather quickly and pulled her into my arms. I didn’t kiss her, but I held her as close as I could without crushing her. “I missed you,” I whispered.
“It hasn’t been that long.” She giggled.
“But it felt like forever.”
“I love you, too,” she said and pulled back, kissing me fully on the lips. “Sorry if I have morning hospital breath.”
“You could have ‘just ate a liverwurst sandwich’ breath and I would still want to kiss you.”
“That may be the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me.” Her giggle turned into fits of laughter. The sweet sound filled the room and made me smile. “Connor… We need to talk.”
Oh shit. The smile left my face and I’m sure a great deal of color did, too. “About?”
“What happened last night. My father filled me in. Mostly. In a very cryptic way. Connor… I… I saw things. I saw you. What the hell is going on?”
I opened my mouth to tell her everything, but something stopped me. Although she still looked human, she might be changing into one of the Chosen. It was a distinct and probable conclusion. If she were, it wasn’t my place to tell her. It was her father’s. He and I needed to have a talk. Soon.
“That garage was completely full of paint fumes. It’s no wonder you were hallucinating. Don’t worry. I’m sure it will all come back to you.”
She gave me a disbelieving look and shrugged her shoulders. “Well. Thank you for saving me anyway.”
I kissed her forehead and gave her a quick smile. “So when you getting out of here?”
“Dad says sometime today. I’m fine, but they want to keep an eye on me.”
I nodded. “Speaking of your father, where is the evil one?”
“Right behind you,” came Mr. James’ retort.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Did I say evil? I meant sneaky,” I said to a wide-eyed Jessica, who broke out in even more fits of laughter.
“Hi, Daddy. Did you bring me Starbucks?”
“Venti caramel macchiato with almond milk and an extra shot, as ordered. How are you feeling, baby? Good morning Conrad,” he said and put his hand on my shoulder as he leaned over and handed Jessie her coffee.
“Good morning, sir.”
“What were you talking about?”
“I asked Connor what happened last night.”
“And what, pray tell, was his theory?” He shifted uncomfortably.
“That the amount of paint fumes in that weirdo’s garage was making me hallucinate.”
He stroked his chin and seemed to think about it before nodding approvingly. “That’s probably what happened. I’m just glad we found you.”
“And the police still haven’t found the guy?” Jessie didn’t sound overly concerned. I would have been if I thought the guy who kidnapped me was still out on the streets. She didn’t know that his soul was tucked safely away in one of the Fallen’s realms. I hoped they had him making license plates or something.
“No,” came Mr. James inevitable reply. “I’m not even sure they’re looking that hard. His house went up in flames. They’re probably expecting him to be three states away. If he’s smart, that’s where he will be. I’d very much like to get my hands on that young man.”
Jessie’s eyes widened a little. Her father sounded furious, yet calm. He even sent a shiver down my spine.
“So when am I getting out of here?”
“One more checkup from the doctor and you’re free to go. I ran into him at the nurse’s station. He should be here momentarily. Conrad, would you excuse us? There are some things we need to discuss. Would you care to come over tonight for a celebration dinner?”
“I’d like that, sir. Thank you. I’ll see you tonight, Jess. Get some rest,” I said and stood.
“I will. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you more.” I walked toward the door.
“Um, Connor?”
I turned. “Yes?”
She glanced furtively at her father who rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She mouthed the words, “I love you.”
I winked and did the same.
Chapter 5
My stomach started rumbling as I swung my leg over my scooter. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours. That was unheard of. I briefly got over the shock that I wasn’t passed out on the ground moaning for hamburgers.
I pulled out my cell, checked the time, and weighed my options. It was almost noon. Unfortunately I had zero cash. I could eat at home or go home and scrounge some pretzel cash from the old folks. The thought of soft, warm, salty pretzels left little room for decision making. I should probably check up on Mom and Dad anyway.
The drive was quick and uneventful. I pulled into the driveway and practically ran into the house. “Mom, Dad, I’m hooome!”
“Where’s your sister?” Mom peeked her head out from the kitchen.
“She’s still a little weird about yesterday. She’s venting at the mall with some friends.”
“She’s grounded!” I heard Dad’s voice from the kitchen.
I had forgotten all about it. I walked through the living room into the kitchen. Dad was sitting at the round kitchenette table eating a sandwich while Mom was doing something on her laptop at the counter. I looked over at Dad and caught his eye. I hated doing it but… “You told her she had suffered enough and let her off last night.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mom lifted her head up in shock and I calmly said, “You remember, don’t you Mom?”
“Yeah,” she said and went back to work. I had a little bit of a sick feeling in my stomach. It was getting too easy to mind magic my ‘rents. Then I realized something. I wasn’t a selfish kid. If you gave most teens the power that I had, their rooms would be full of gaming gear and nacho machines. My parents had it easy. I would never even consider doing something like that. Or would I?
Briefly, images of a PS3 flittered through my mind.
Only to be replaced by the image of the stack of bills by my mother’s laptop. I sighed heavily. My parents worked very hard to make ends meet. I could never do it. Not in a million years.
“I’m meeting a few friends at the mall for lunch. Do either of you amazing people have a few dollars you could lend this poor, starving child?”
Dad laughed and set down his sandwich. “I have some cash. You’re lucky you’re charming like your old man.” He reached into his pants and pulled out a bill. I took it without looking at the denomination.
“Thanks, pops,” I said and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll be back later! Oh, before I forget, Jessie’s coming home from the hospital today. Her father invited me for dinner so I’ll be eating over there.”
“Okay, honey. I want you home by nine and you’re staying home tomorrow. Family dinner night.”
I smiled and grumbled under my breath. I hated Sunday nights. Family dinner night usually consisted of something with dairy in it that I couldn’t eat, and fighting with my sister. “Okay, Mom. No cheese on mine,” I reminded her futilely.
“Since when don’t you like cheese?”
“Mom. Lactose intolerant. Want me puking all over the place?”
“Oh. Right. I forgot.”
I rolled my eyes and left.
The mall was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon. There wasn’t even a line at Aunt Annie’s Pretzels. I gave a little internal woot woot, and walked up to the register. The girl behind the counter was facing the other way, leaning against the register, and filing her finger nails. I decided to be polite and wait. When the wait bordered on ridiculous, I began tapping the counter. The cashier looked over her shoulder and gave me an evil grin.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to try to get my attention.”
“Shannon?” My mouth hung open in utter shock. Shannon MacVie was the head of the cheerleaders at James Underwood High School. She was also Shanria of the Chosen. And a royal pain in my ass.
“The one and only,” she r
eplied and turned around. I must say, the uniforms at Aunt Annie’s Pretzels aren’t appealing in any way, shape, or form. After seeing it on Shannon, I was forced to reevaluate my opinion of them.
“What are you doing here?”
“I work here. Just started today. They’re already talking about promoting me to assistant manager,” she said and rolled her eyes.
“But what are you doing working here. Shouldn’t you be working at a clothing store or something more…um…fashionable?”
“Well I’m glad you think so highly of me. As it turns out… You got me addicted to the little doughy concoctions here. Working here affords me one perk that clothing stores do not… Free pretzels.”
I couldn’t help it. The ridiculousness of the situation became too much to bear. I broke down laughing in the middle of the mall.
“What’s so funny?” She put her hands on her hips and I could see fire smoldering in her eyes. I held up my hands apologetically, but I couldn’t stop laughing.
“I’m not laughing at you,” I managed to croak out somewhat comprehensibly. “You are one of the most beautiful girls at our school. You are the head cheerleader. You drive a sports car. You could have any job in the world…and you’re working here. For free pretzels no less.” By the time I finished my explanation, my laughter had died down to a small chuckle.
She still had her hands on her hips, but her back went rigid, though not in anger. Her eyes had gone wide and she had a bewildered look on her face. I expected her to want a further explanation, but her question shocked me. “You think I’m beautiful?”
I’m surprised my jaw didn’t hit the counter in front of me. “Um… Of course I do? I’d have to be blind not to think so.”
“You’re not just saying this because we broke bread and are not mortal enemies anymore, right?”
I sighed in exasperation. “Shannon. I don’t do things like that. I say what I feel. You might have issues, but you are completely beautiful.”
“Issues?”
I groaned. Talking to women was difficult enough. Give them wings and a superiority complex and it was damn near impossible. “Chosen-type issues,” I said and blew out the breath I had been holding while I counted to ten.
