by L. A. Banks
“Just stop it, Carlos. It’s now or never. I’m just as worried about them as you are, and I love them just as much as you do. But as their mother, I know we can’t take them to the next level as parents. To keep them here is to handicap them, and I won’t allow that. Not with what they’re facing as their destiny. They have to get the intensive talent training, all day, every day, plus all the regular stuff, like history, technology, math, science—everything that we don’t have time to teach. How are we supposed to do that while we’re out in the world battling everything that goes bump in the night? The closer it gets to the return of the Unnamed, the more we’re seeing demon raids on innocent humans. Am I wrong? So when will we be here at the compound to keep them safe, huh? When will we be able to take time to keep them sharp on how to slay vampires, how to take down a werewolf or how to behead any number of hellhole vermin without getting nicked? When you figure that part out, Carlos Rivera, you let me know. Until then, they’re going to the Academy.”
There were two beats of silence, and she imagined her father standing there, his face getting a little red, eyes slowly turning silver, and fangs lowering, which happened whenever he got annoyed—tonight he sounded way more than annoyed.
“And what?” her father finally said. “I’m not ready to have my only baby girl and my only son snatched down a damned demon hole!” His voice was rising again. “Is that wrong? Am I out of line for feeling parental concern?”
Sarah nearly gasped aloud when the strong surge of her father’s anger, frustration and, to a lesser degree, his fear pulsed through her. All of a sudden her mind’s eye snapped completely open in a way it never had before. Suddenly she could see the inside of the war room. She and Al must have gotten in sync and now were concentrating together so hard that their powers had combined to show them what was going on beyond the wall. Never in her life had a vision exploded inside her head like this one did.
Her father was walking in a tight circle, gathering ammunition, picking up shells and a shotgun, as well as stuffing his vest with grenades. Her mother was at the door, arms folded, blocking his exit. They weren’t breaking up. They were having a standoff. But it was clear that he was going demon hunting tonight no matter what her mother said to him.
Her father was in rare form. Tall, muscular, caramel colored, with short dark hair and dark eyes that were flashing fire. Although they were arguing, she could see the look of appreciation in her mother’s expression as she watched him pace angrily around the room. But her dad was no pretty boy, handsome as he was. Beneath his normal city street charm as her uncles called it, there was no mistaking that demon-killer instinct lurking just beneath his surface. Something had detonated that in him tonight. She just wished she knew what it was. Bodies were missing? Whose? What had grabbed them? No wonder he was flipping out. Plus, the reminder about her own and her brother’s destiny to fight evil made her weak in the knees. She didn’t want to be a demon hunter! Not now, not ever.
Her dad was a warrior, merciless when protecting his own. Vampires were, by nature and reputation, ruthless—and her dad used to be a vamp before he went into the Light. That was no secret. Everybody in the family knew it, all the other Guardians knew it, and it was the thing that gave him a little extra street cred when he told people he had a bad feeling about something. She just wondered why her mom wasn’t listening to him about something as important as this.
Puzzled, her palms moist against the wall, Sarah strained harder to hear. It just didn’t make sense. If her dad wanted to defend them all against something terrible, then what was her mom’s problem? Legend had it that her dad had taken the word ruthless to a whole new level while in the Dark Realms. She’d seen the vamp trait of being ice cold when it came to revenge in both Al and Tami, but the ruthless gene seemed to have skipped her entirely. Sarah let out a soft sigh. She definitely took after her mother and was more prone to diplomacy rather than brute force.
Well, at least Dad hadn’t totally dropped fangs yet, she thought. Even though her Mom had told her long ago that, technically he wasn’t a Vampire any longer, at least not since he’d been pardoned by the Light, some things were still fused in his DNA. His fangs were one of those leftover things from his past, like his temper. When her father’s fangs started showing at full length, it was a sure sign he was about to blow.
“Then let’s do a sweep, me and you—as Neterus,” her mother finally said, tucking a Glock nine-millimeter in the waistband of her fatigues. “If we can shut down any demon portals that have opened up near the school, then they go. But we cannot home-school these kids forever until all evil in the world is vanquished. That just isn’t a part of their destiny.”
Sarah and Al glanced at each other once again. They had long gotten used to hearing about their “destiny” and the war they would inherit as their parents’ children.
It was common compound knowledge that, sixteen years ago, just before she and Al had been born, the world as everyone knew it had come to an end. To hear their parents tell it, everything had changed big time. It was hard to imagine a world different from the one they now lived in, but within all their lessons and as a regular part of the conversations around the compound, everybody referred to the secret war that had gone on for centuries between The Light and the Dark Realms. Then all of a sudden the battle had come to a head because their parents chased the darkness into the depths of hell, and the Armageddon—the last battle—hit the streets, where normal humans finally saw what had gone unseen for eons. Governments fell, economies crashed…. She could feel Al’s question forming in his head just like it was forming in hers—was it happening all over again, but this time earlier than the prophecies foretold?
Back then, pockets of humanity had eventually returned. But if another huge war like that broke out, what would people do? Food was already scarce, disease was rampant, people fought like animals for clean water and anything that would make life bearable. Her family said that living in the world as it was now was like living in a nightmare. For months now, leading up to her planned departure for the Academy, she’d been having horrible nightmares…the kind her mother and Nana said would pass, but their eyes told her differently. They knew something was wrong, too.
Just like she’d always been able to feel things a little deeper than the others could, right now the hairs were standing up on her arms. What if their destiny was here now? What if evil wasn’t going to wait until they were twenty-one? That was what nobody else in the compound seemed to get. Sarah covered her heart with one palm and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Her heart felt like it was slamming a path out of her chest. This whole destiny concept wasn’t going to be fun—it would be bloody and terrifying, as far as she could tell. Besides, what if the evil that missed them the first time was now on a rampage, snatching kids from school in search of the Neteru compound brood? They were so not ready to go to war, to be any kind of heroes, much less to save the world.
But then again, what was she going to do, stay home alone while her parents were off fighting demons and the other kids were at school? At least at the Academy there’d be safety in numbers. Sarah said a silent prayer. Please, please, God, don’t let the Armageddon be happening again.
Most of the survivors of the Armageddon lived in colonies established by the new world leader, who her parents said was an agent of the Antichrist. It was forbidden to mention his name, because according to Nana Marlene, words and names had power, especially when spoken by those with supernatural strength. Regardless, those colonies were strictly governed and fiercely protected. But not everyone chose to live there. Not everyone trusted that new leadership. Her parents clearly didn’t.
But what could be going on outside their little oasis, if her parents and aunts and uncles had driven evil back to the Dark Realms years ago? Where had the students and staff gone missing from—in the little-town colonies around the compound? At the Academy itself? It was all too bizarre.
It didn’t seem likely they could be attacked here. Sa
rah repeated the facts to calm herself now, the same way she would when she had bad dreams. She had to relax; she was just freaking herself out.
Her dad had used his powers to relocate them to the Greenbrier Hotel deep in the Appalachian Mountains. It was well-hidden and inaccessible except by air or by energy transport. All the roads leading to it had been destroyed in the war. It was from here that all the adults in the family continued to fight against any remnants of the Dark Realms, alongside other guerrilla Guardian colonies around the world. But here, home, was supposed to be safe. It was. It was. It really, really was.
An uneasiness crept through Sarah as her brother turned away to continue listening. Her parents weren’t just regular Guardians of the Light—they were Neterus, the highest level of warrior, chosen as the leaders by all other Guardians. And their children’s destiny training was supposed to begin at the Academy, the secret, exclusive school set up to train the best warriors of the Light. How could the place that housed kids from all the Guardian teams all over the world not be safe?
But from her parents’ argument, it was clear that trouble was brewing at the Academy. Bodies. They had mentioned bodies. If that was true, then maybe she and Al weren’t going to get the chance to learn slowly or to get a little older before taking on the Dark Realm, or even get to meet other Guardian kids their own age. Maybe it meant they would get thrown right into combat or something equally bad. All her life she’d dreamt of just having a chance to be normal, not to have to live in hiding… maybe be around other people besides her relatives. Now it seemed like maybe none of that would happen.
That sucked.
Sarah glanced at her brother. Al would jump at a chance to carry weapons and blast demons. She could feel the excitement coursing through him, and it made her sad. Even if they didn’t like each other very much, she still loved him and didn’t want to see him dead. Resigned, Sarah closed her eyes again and touched the wall.
“Okay,” her father was saying when she tuned back into her parents’ conversation. “We do a sweep tonight, then. My main concern is that the Morrigan could be involved. If that’s true, we’re screwed.”
“If we’ve gone up against the Unnamed One and the entire Vampire Council,” her mother argued, “then I’m not afraid of the Morrigan.”
Sarah gasped, and Al cut her a sharp look to be quiet. But didn’t he get it? The legends they’d always heard about, the history they had been taught over and over, was coming to life!
The Morrigan might be involved in this…fallen Guardians who used their talents for the dark side. They were as bad as Vampires, as far as she was concerned. From everything she’d ever been told, the Morrigan would do anything for favors, extra human comforts, and for power to lord it over people who were stuck in controlled colonies. Sarah jerked her attention back to her parents, both hearing them and seeing them in her mind’s eye. Now she really had to know what was going on.
“I never said anything about fearing the Morrigan,” her father snarled, his fangs cresting in anger. “I said we’re screwed because they know our ways, knew our defenses before they fell…know about the Academy. They can hurt our children, Damali.”
Her father paced away from the munitions tables and raked his fingers through his hair. “Now kids are missing, Guardians are being picked off one-by-one. If we don’t find this bastard now or find out who’s actually doing his dirty work and how…”
History and legend were coming to life right before her eyes as their parents prepared for a night raid. Al and Sarah glanced at each other again, knowing that their dad was now talking about Zaphon, although nobody used that name for him anymore. All Guardians knew that Zaphon was still a threat, but they were always told he wouldn’t surface until they were at least twenty-one years old. Her parents had breeched Hell to drive him back where he belonged and had badly injured him, which was what kicked off the Armageddon early when his dad found out.
But what if the Dark Realm had discovered a way to heal him early? What if, because her parents had forced the Armageddon early, this was the real time when it had been meant to happen—well before she and Al were ready to deal with their so-called destiny to fight in it?
Horrifying thoughts took flight inside Sarah’s head. Panic made it hard for her to breathe.
“Carlos,” her mother said, her voice soothing, and Sarah wondered how her mom managed to sound so calm. “I know you wanted to smoke the beast’s heir before he claimed power over the world, but you just might have to accept the fact that maybe it’s our children’s destiny to handle that, not ours.”
Sarah felt like she was about to pass out for a second. It could not be her and her brother’s destiny to go up against Zaphon. She didn’t care what they’d been told all their lives about destiny. She’d never thought that meant Zaphon. No, no, no, no, no.
“I’m not accepting that philosophical bullshit, Damali!” her father shouted, pointing at her mother. “It’s my job as their father to give them a leg up and a safer world!”
You tell her, Dad, Sarah whispered inside her mind, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.
“You did. We did,” her mother said firmly. “But we are not God, not by a long shot.”
Her father stopped pacing, placed his hands on his hips and let his head drop forward wearily. It was a while before he looked up at her mother again. When he did, his expression was softer, and there was a different kind of intensity in his eyes. Sarah let out a short breath of frustration. This was the way all their fights seemed to end—her mom just broke her dad down with relentless, tenderly stated facts, and he wound up kissing her. It was the most inexplicable magic she’d ever witnessed. But she was conflicted that her mother had employed the tactic tonight. Feeling torn, half of her emotions wanted to go to school, the other half wanted to wall up in the safety of the compound until whatever was kidnapping students was found. But who wanted to be stuck at home when there’d be a chance to meet other kids her own age, regardless of the danger?
Tomorrow they were supposed to be leaving to start their first year at the Academy. Left to their father’s opinion on the matter, none of the kids in the compound would ever leave home—especially not her and Al.
“You are my angel,” her dad said softly, going to her mom.
Al let out a huff of breath and shook his head. “Aw, man, here they go,” he muttered in a hard whisper. “Skip all that and get to what’s kidnapping people, will ya?”
“Technically, Dad is right,” Sarah fussed under her breath, giving Al a sidelong glance. “She’s part seraphim, part Powers level angel.”
“You are so stupid. That’s not what he meant.” Al turned away from her, shutting his eyes tighter. “Geeze, where did they get you from?”
Their father slid his arms around their mother’s waist and pulled her in tight, then buried his face against her neck.
Sarah pulled back from the wall. “This is private, Al…we shouldn’t—”
“Shut up and listen,” he said between his teeth. “If you’ll be quiet, maybe we’ll learn where they’re going.”
Tentatively Sarah leaned closer to the wall, not sure she wanted to see the depth of her parents’ affection for each other. It was enough for her to know that the argument wasn’t leading to a breakup, but seeing them kiss was not something she felt comfortable with. To her relief, they were just hugging each other. Her mom’s arms were draped around her dad’s neck as though he could solve all the problems in the universe. And if her mom believed that, she sure did. Sarah could feel herself relaxing as her father’s voice rumbled low and deep and calm.
“I just wanna be sure my family is safe, baby,” he murmured against her mother’s hair.
“It’ll be all right, Carlos,” she told him.
“We’ll take a few Hunter and Warrior class Guardians. Big Mike, Rider and Yonnie. In and out.”
“In and out,” her mother echoed in a more relaxed tone as she stroked his back.
“I’m going, too,” Al wh
ispered, suddenly turning toward Sarah and breaking her trance.
“Are you crazy?”
“Look, I wanna know what bodies they’re talking about. If it’s happening at the school, that must be why Dad is so bent.”
Al turned to leave, and Sarah caught his arm.
“Bent. Bent? Do you want to see Dad drop fang when he finds out you snuck out after them? Have you completely lost your mind, Al?”
Al shrugged out of her hold. “You’re just chicken shit, Sarah. Afraid of the dark. Admit it. But if they think fallen Guardians could be in on this, plus kids are missing at school and Guardians are getting snatched…I’m in. This is my chance to see some real live action. I’m not like you, satisfied with sitting on the sidelines and afraid of my own shadow. Mom and Dad left themselves open enough psychically for us to put a light tracer on them—that never happens, okay. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Stay here if you want, but I’m going.”
Sarah cursed silently to herself as he strode off. Al was always such a hothead! Always wanting to jump in feet first, no matter what the consequences. He never appreciated the fact that she could always, ever since they were little, feel whenever something terrible was going to happen to him. That was a burden. Didn’t he understand that? To know as sure as you knew your own name that something tragic was looming over someone you loved—but not knowing what to do about it—was crazy-making. Telling him only seemed to make him bolder. Telling her parents only made him resent her when they insisted he be careful or revoked his grounds privileges. And tonight… She had such a bad feeling about tonight that it put gooseflesh on her arms.
Dammit, she could feel her own incisors lengthening. Her brother always knew how to push her buttons. Why did she have to inherit fangs from her dad instead of her Mom’s angel wings!
Calling her chicken shit and afraid of the dark was definitely one way to send her to Def-con 5—mainly because it was true. Her stupid brother had no idea how much she was afraid of both the dark and her destiny or the very valid reasons why. They’d all said that when she was born, she was the one who’d come out crying and fighting mad with her fists balled up, and he was the calm one. Go figure. But that all changed when the shadows started scaring her as a toddler. Al didn’t see the stuff she could see lurking in the darkness. So, yeah, the last freakin’ thing in the world she wanted to be was some demon hunter. She hated working in the dark, night-vision capability notwithstanding. She’d seen enough by fifteen years old—had seen things in her sleep that haunted her with all the lights on. It didn’t matter that Nana Marlene said it would pass. But she’d never give Al the satisfaction of saying all that tonight.
