Underground Ring: Book 1

by M. M. Reid

  I nodded, though my head was still spinning with the information about the gifts and these Shadows. My gaze drifted to my father. I held out my arm for him to take Balmung back.

  My father stepped forward and took it. “Do not linger,” he said. “Once you have the other Mystics, come straight back.”

  I gritted my teeth and nodded, still angered by the secrets held from me. But, I thought, this was my chance! I would finally be able to embrace the world my father had kept me from so long!

  Chapter 3

  I was excited as I travelled east. I had never been anywhere and I had never known anything else, other than my small patch of forest. After walking for what seemed like forever, salvation—a hard stone road that seemed to stretch on infinitely in either direction. I stood there at the edge of the unknown, and took a deep breath. This is it, I thought, mentally preparing myself for the worst. I slowly put out one foot and stepped on the cement as if it would give way at any moment. It seemed stable enough, so I slowly began to walk along it, as instructed, to the right.

  Would I be walking into a warzone where Mystics and Shadows would be locked in bloody conflict? How would I know who was a Shadow and who was a Mystic? My confidence from the earlier duel was beginning to fade as the new reality set in. Questions suddenly buzzed in my mind like insects. I was so distracted that when a car horn blared behind me, I was so startled that I nearly sprinted away screaming. Instead, my warrior instinct kicked in and I whipped around and kicked blindly. The pain was unreal as the top of my foot connected with something hard and metal. I whimpered as I stepped gingerly on my foot, the great beast of metal humming, unaffected in front of me. This must be the car thing Father told me about on one of the few occasions he talked about the outside world. In the vehicle a stunned woman stared at me with pure terror in her eyes. There was a moment of awkward confusion between us. I wasn’t sure whether she was a Mystic or Shadow, and a wave of embarrassment washed over me. I smiled sheepishly and stepped aside, and the car sped away—the woman clearly wishing to put as much distance between us as possible. My hand slapped against my forehand and slid down my face.

  Welcome to the outside world, Augrais.

  This outside world was, at first, a frightening experience. It took me four hours to finally see the buildings growing on the horizon. When I reached the town, more and more large, hulking cars with bright lights buzzed by. There were bright lights, loud noises, and people everywhere. Although I had heard about it from Father, I never actually had seen such technology before. The road seemed to go right through this town like a major artery. Unlike the log cabin I had been accustomed to, these buildings were made of a strange red stone, while others were made of some sort of weird mixture of wood and metal. Large signs were plastered everywhere and, though most I couldn’t actually read, I felt bombarded with information.

  I got strange looks from some people as I peered inside car windows, the drivers leaning back slightly with a look of confusion and mild apprehension on their faces. My attire was completely different from what these people were wearing. I was in leather garb and barefoot. They wore a weird, soft tunic. A small girl stared at me in wide-eyed terror as I pulled at the fabric on her arm. It was all too strange for me.

  I walked past a store that had an “open” sign on the door and I stopped and doubled back. As I entered, a strange warmth from what I at first thought was a fire struck me, for it had been cold outside. For my first 15 minutes in the store, I looked about for the fire. I even asked a small, balding man behind a rather large wooden counter.

  “Hello, sir. Where is the fire in the building?”

  I was met with a strange look that I was becoming all too used to. “Are you with the fire department or something?”

  “There’s a department for fire?” I gaped.

  “Are you on drugs, son?”

  “Drugs?”

  “Get out! Stop harassing me and the customers.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Get out!”

  And that was the end of that encounter, as I was pushed back onto the street. I was beginning to believe that it would be best to finish the job that Lokus set out for me, and get out as soon as possible. I wandered around blindly for an hour, having no idea of what to look for or where I could find “them.” I had followed the directions and this was the town Lokus spoke of. But no one knew what a “Mystic” was when I asked.

  Hopeless and distraught, I was beginning to give up when I turned down an alleyway. There I stumbled across four large boys attacking one skinny little boy. Shadows! I thought. But just as I was beginning to approach them, I remembered Lokus warning me to avoid attention.

  I walked by the group slowly, fists clenching. Do not draw attention to yourself, do not draw attention to yourself, I kept repeating in my mind.

  “Yeah, keep walking, kid,” said one of the larger boys.

  The boy being bullied noticed me and screamed. “Help. Please!”

  He was hit again and coughed. I stopped, turning to stare at these adversaries who were probably 16, just like me. Shadows or not, I could not watch this young kid being attacked and not do anything to stop it. My teeth clenched as I prepared for the battle of my life.

  “I said, keep walking.” One of the larger boys left the group.

  I didn’t respond. My Vitae began to flow more freely, preparing for the fight.

  None of them seemed to be concerned and I was beginning to become uneasy. I sensed no gifts from them but I didn’t know if the Shadows could hide their powers better than I could.

  “Looks like we got ourselves a hero here, boys,” said the largest bully.

  “Ooh, tough guy,” taunted another.

  They surrounded me. I knew I had to use minimal force when one grabbed me from behind and pulled me up into the air. I focused my energy downward, making my weight exceed something he could lift. Then I thrust my elbow back into his ribs and threw my fist into his nose, which exploded with a loud crunch. Much to my surprise, he fell to the ground incapacitated and weeping. Next came two more boys, throwing punches wildly at me. Were these Shadows? No wonder Lokus said they needed vast amounts of them to kill one of us! I easily dispatched them with a knee to the side for one, and a hammer fist on top of the head for the other. The last attempted to run, but I intersected him, pinning him with one arm against the wall.

  “Tell your Shadows that a new warrior has come to destroy them,” I hissed.

  “What the hell are you talking about, man?” He was crying. “You’re crazy!”

  “You’re a Mystic then?” I was utterly confused.

  “Let me go, man. You’re insane. Help! Help!” The coward of a boy screamed until I let him go and he ran out of sight.

  “Wow, you sure kicked the crap out of them.” I jumped as a voice came from behind me.

  I spun around quickly and pressed my foot against the thin boy’s chest. “Are you a Shadow?” I growled.

  “Take your meds, buddy. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I allowed him to ease my foot off his sternum. This boy was around my age, very skinny with abnormally large features that made him look more comedic than anything. His hair was deep brown and wavy, his eyes a sharp green.

  There was an awkward silence. The toothy grin from this boy was making me uneasy.

  “My name’s Ben. Yours?” asked the small boy, holding out his hand in front of him.

  “Augrais,” I responded, confused by his assertive gesture.

  “What? Never shook hands before?”

  “Shook hands?”

  He stared at me as though he wondered how I had managed to get into my clothes. “First time out of the house?”

  “First time in town,” I muttered turning around to continue my mission, but I noticed something from the corner of my eye and looked back towards the boy.

  He stopped, almost running into me, then backed away because of how I was looking at him. “You’re not weird, are you?”

 
He had a gift, although I couldn’t really pinpoint which element it was. All I knew was that Ben stood out from the other people of the town.

  “Did Lokus tell you I was coming?”

  “OK…leaving now,”

  I grabbed his arm. “Wait. Stay, please. You have a gift.”

  “A what?”

  I blinked. How could he not know the gifts? Maybe he was too young of a Vitae user to understand. Or maybe, the thought dawned on me, he wasn’t a Vitae user at all.

  “Aren’t you a Mystic?” I asked.

  A blank look.

  I sighed. “Never mind,” I grumbled and continued on my way. As I expected, he followed right at my tail.

  “So, I have a gift?” he said. “What kind of gift? Like a present?”

  “Present?”

  Awe had now fully taken him. “Wow. It’s OK, we can fix this. I know how to solve the problem that brought you here.”

  “You know where the other Vitae users are?”

  “I was about to say I know a woman that’ll get you laid, but hey, that works too.”

  I rolled my eyes and kept moving. I needed to hurry as it was almost midday and I knew I had a lot to explore if I was to find the two Mystics and be on my way. I was almost beginning to think that Ben was a Mystic as well, but his energy was far too stunted to be anything truly powerful.

  “So, what are you looking for again?”

  “Two Vitae users. Lokus sent me,” I repeated, exasperated.

  “Lokus? What’s with all your names?”

  “A name is a name,” I responded.

  “Hey, don’t try to spin that stuff on me. I know… Wait, you said you needed to find two people?”

  He switched topics as fast as his little legs moved over the frosty pavement.

  “Yes, I did,” I said, looking over the crowds of people bustling about the street, hoping to discern any clue I could.

  “I know a guy who knows a guy who may know a guy that helped a guy that may help you.”

  I stopped, clearly hinting that I had already had enough of him. “What’s your point?”

  “You help me and I help you,” Ben stated with an animated face, giving me no indication he had malicious intention.

  I stepped around him. “I don’t bargain with anyone, kid.”

  The boy grabbed my arm as I walked past. “Ben…how easily you forget. Anyway, you teach me some of those fighting skills and I can help you find who you’re looking for.”

  “No deal.” I gently twisted out of his grasp and began to walk faster.

  “See what I mean? How did you do that?” he called after me as he quickly caught up. “Aw c’mon, Augrais. You only have to teach me one move. Oh, and explain to me what you were talking about before.” He bounced in front me like a rabbit in the forest.

  Stopping, I pondered. This town could take weeks for me to find these people. It seemed I did need him, no matter how much he annoyed me. Plus, Lokus wanted people with gifts. I didn’t see any harm in it.

  A few moments later I was lost. “Where are we?”

  “No idea,” Ben replied with no shame. “I was about to say we should go that way, but it’s a dead end.”

  “This is a waste of my time,” I mumbled bitterly. I was beginning to think Ben was just leading me around the block a few times to taunt me.

  His arm struck my chest. I almost instinctively knocked him onto his back, but then I saw his bony finger point ahead of us. A group of boys and girls were standing in a giant circle at the end of the alley. Very suddenly, I felt the waves of Vitae coming off two standing in the centre.

  I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to concentrate on nothing, allowing the energy to speak its mysteries to me. I felt a small breeze next to me, which must have been Ben. I then sensed the two others. I could see their silhouettes, locked in combat in the centre of the large circle, without looking. These must be the two I was looking for. Their gifts, especially the Fire for one and the Water for the other, were extraordinary. I needed to find out more about them and that would require me to be directly involved.

  Wait here, Ben. My Earth gift spoke to him and he almost jumped out of his skin. As I passed him, he gave me a look of fear or awe—I couldn’t tell which.

  The boy with the strong Water was even shorter than Ben. However, he had a barrel chest and was powerfully built. His hair was black and well-groomed. The Fire male was even taller than me and his body practically burned with energy. He looked similar to a troll, with his large, powerful limbs and odd facial features. His bulbous nose hooked over a small mouth set into a large jaw. His eyes were fierce in his battle with the Water one. They both battled ferociously, but the battle ended as the shorter one fell to the ground panting, leaving the taller boy unscathed. The taller one helped his opponent up, nodding with respect.

  “Thanks, cousin,” said the other, then turned around to face the circle surrounding them. “Last fight guys. Anyone else want to try him? Five bucks he can take any one of you cherry pickers down.”

  I took a step towards the crowd but Ben rushed in front of me. “You do not want to do that,” he told me in a hushed voice.

  “Why? His powers aren’t that great,” I said, nodding toward the tall Fire boy.

  “Trosian is only 15 and he can beat up any kid who ever messes with him. He’s practically the best fighter in town.”

  “Then he misuses his gifts and should be taught a lesson.” And with that, I gently brushed the concerned Ben aside and slipped into the centre of the circle.

  The short one with the Water gift laughed. “Looks like we got a kid with something to prove. Bets, anyone? Bets?”

  He went around collecting some sort of weird paper while Trosian, who I figured to be a good half metre taller than I, locked eyes with me. I knew he was unafraid, though he innately sensed that I was not another simple child off the street. He knew I was different.

  “I give him ten seconds,” laughed the shorter kid and the others jeered at me with him. I felt a bit small for a moment as the crowd began to huddle around me like a pack of wolves.

  “More like he’s takin’ Trosian down, Lee!” Ben’s voice came from behind the wall of people. “Trosian doesn’t stand a chance. This guy is a tank! A big tank…with guns.”

  For once, I was glad Ben was there. I stared up at Trosian, waiting for him to show his intimidating strength. Putting one leg behind the other, Trosian skipped into a side kick that would have hit me had I not lazily taken a step back. This boy was fast, even with his immense size—but unfortunately for him, I was faster. He then followed up with a back fist that turned into his doom. I leaned back, and threw the shin of my front leg into his chest. Trosian landed hard on the cement with a cough as all the air left him and he slid to the opposite side of the circle. Nothing was said. Everyone just looked down to the coughing Trosian, then back up at me.

  “Holy crap,” Lee gawked, and went to his friend’s side. Then the crowd exploded as people gathered around me in congratulations, while others threw tantrums since they had lost their previous bets.

  “Hell yeah, Augrais,” cheered Ben, bounding around again. “One hit KO, baby.”

  “You alright?” Lee knelt down next to the recovering Trosian, who was now sitting up.

  “Fine,” the tall boy responded curtly as he slowly got his feet, dusting off the dirt on his pants. He never took his eyes off me, as if he was studying me and trying to figure out how I beat him and the differences between us.

  The crowd of teenagers then slowly dispersed like a pool of water on a warm day. Their chatting was heard only for a few more moments as they disappeared down the alleyway.

  “So, I think I may know where your Mystic buddies are.” Ben stepped into my line of vision. “The motel down the street has some weird folks like you…”

  Trosian and Lee looked to the dipping sun and turned to leave. I wasn’t exactly sure if they were the ones I had been looking for, but there was only one way to find out. “Lokus se
nt me,” I called after them.

  Trosian froze then whipped around to face me. “I didn’t realize Mystics attack their recruits before introducing themselves.” His voice was deep and cold for his age, as if he was constantly under a dark thunderstorm he could not escape.

  “I didn’t realize recruits fight untrained people to pad their egos. Or is it because you’re afraid of getting your ass kicked?” I shot back, not liking the arrogance from this kid.

  There was a stunned silence as my voice slowly echoed down the dank alleyway. Ben and Lee began to slowly back away from Trosian. The air around Trosian and I shifted as our Vitae began to stir like a snake uncoiling. Trosian now began to shake under the weight of his anger and a blue vein started to throb in his forehead. It was clear to me that he was used to people scurrying away from him, or rather from the Fire gift glowing within him.

  “Trosian. The sunset!” Lee’s voice was tense.

  The sunset? I pondered. Was Trosian afraid of the dark? No, that wasn’t it. My would-be combatant’s eyes flicked towards the orange sky then back to me. He was beginning to waver with uncertainty. And then I began to notice a strange feeling that rose from the earth itself. Birds no longer chirped, and flies that were buzzing only a moment ago had gone deathly silent.

  Trosian straightened, a sigh relaxing his flaring Vitae. “We don’t have much time. They will be here soon, searching for us.”

  I knew all too well what he meant: Shadows.

  “I can lead you back to Lokus, if you can direct me out of this town,” I said, my voice holding even though my heart was beating like a drum in my chest. All I could remember was Lokus’s warnings.

  Trosian nodded. “We need to gather our supplies. It will only take a moment. If you would like to wait here…”