by Mazhar, S
“Fifteen minutes,” Scott called. “Where are we?” He nodded, lines on his brow relaxing. “Okay, good enough,” he said. “Zhi-Jiya, Omar and Lilah – get your teams and move.”
The surrounding mages began giggling in relief, shaking their heads at one another with whispers of, “I told you there was nothing to worry about,” and “Good thoughts lead to good results.” Aaron looked around to see that even Drake was smiling.
Scott instructed another team to leave. Now there were only twelve dots inside the cloud, Aaron could easily spot them.
“Good, good.” Scott was smiling. “Just ease them out, just–” He gasped, eyes widened and his mouth twisted with horror. “Skyler!” he called. “Skyler?” His hands pressed into the necklace, palms crushed together in force. “No!” he gasped. “Skyler!”
Aaron’s heart skipped a beat.
“Skyler’s down,” Scott said, making practically everyone in the Hub suck in a breath.
It felt like the temperature in the room had plummeted, making everyone shiver.
“Get over to him. Get him out!” Drake instructed the other Hunters.
Aaron’s gaze was pulled to the Empaths who had closed their eyes, their breathing calm and even. The twelve women held on to each other, forming a circle. Armana breathed in, held her breath, and then her features twisted with pain and she cried out. Her eyes squeezed tighter, her delicate fingers clutched around the hands of another Empaths. Beads of sweat gathered on Armana’s brow, making her pale skin glisten. Slowly, panting softly, Armana relaxed, her shoulders dropping back down. The lines on her face disappeared and she let out a shaky breath. Her pale blue eyes fluttered open and she smiled.
Scott paused for a moment, tensed and worried. Then relief flooded him and he threw back his head, both hands covering his face. He straightened up and clutched the pendant again.
“Skyler,” he breathed. “Get yourself out of there. Go, take your team and leave.” He glanced at the clock. “Ten minutes. I want all of you out in five, got it?”
The minutes trickled down and when the clock glowed with a singular number five, Scott instructed the remaining four dots to get out.
“Go in pairs and get out,” Scott said, smiling in relief as two dots disappeared.
It came to the last two minutes and there were still two dots remaining.
“Alright, you two,” Scott said. “Leave now and stand guard.”
One dot disappeared, just as the clock flashed the end of a minute, and the seconds started their steady decline.
Scott frowned. “I told both of you to leave,” he said, holding onto the necklace. His eyes narrowed. “Kyran, get out.”
Aaron felt like the bottom of his stomach had dropped. He looked at the clock. Forty seconds left. The map still showed a singular green dot.
“Kyran!” Scott yelled. “What’s going on?” His eyes widened and he cursed. “Find a way past them. Get out now!”
Thiry-five seconds...Thirty-four...Thirty-three...
“Damn it, Kyran!” Scott’s face was now pink, one hand gripped around the pendant while the other balled into a fist. “Dodge them and get out!” He glanced to the clock. “Thirty seconds!”
Aaron could feel panic ballooning inside him, clawing its way up his throat, making him feel short of breath.
“He’s cornered,” he whispered in realisation.
“Don’t worry,” Drake said in a bored voice. “He’ll get out.”
“How do you know?” Aaron asked, angry at Drake for being so calm.
“It’s Kyran,” Drake said. “He always finds a way out.”
“Twenty-five seconds!” Scott yelled.
It seemed that only Drake was indifferent to Kyran’s fate – or perhaps Drake was the only one with faith in Kyran’s death-defying tricks, because everyone else in the Hub was panicking, just like Scott. Murmurs were breaking out, mages shifted in their seats, clasping hands together to mutter prayers.
“Weave your way to the door!” Scott was saying. “Don’t stop, just keep going!”
Aaron was close to hyperventilating. He looked at the clock to see fifteen seconds left.
He’s not going to make it. The thought echoed in his head, making Aaron’s insides go cold.
“Ten seconds!” Scott was shaking now. “Kyran, get out or I swear, I’ll...!” He stopped as the sole green dot disappeared from the cloud.
A tremendous cheer erupted all around the Hub and Scott collapsed in his chair, head in hands, shoulders shaking. At first, Aaron thought Scott was crying, but when the man pulled his hands away, Aaron saw he was laughing a deep, rumbling, relieved laugh.
The clock reached zero and flashed for just over a minute. The white cloud that had been the focus of the day went out in a puff, evaporating until nothing was left.
***
Aaron waited, along with the rest of the mages, at the same place he had been in the morning when the Hunters had left. The sun was shining again. Gone were the ominous black clouds, and the thunder and lightning. As soon as the Q-Zone ceased to exist, so did the bad weather.
The Gate slid open with a flash and a stream of bikes entered. The mages had made two lines, creating a pathway for the Hunters to ride down. Everyone cheered and welcomed their Hunters back with glee and relief.
The Hunters smiled at their warm welcome, but Aaron could see the tiredness in them even from a distance. Their faces were pale, shoulders drooped, backs curved – even more so than normal when riding a bike. They didn’t drive down the garage path to park their bikes; they drove to the row of cottages and parked next to the fence. Aaron watched the Gate, waiting for Kyran, but he saw Skyler first. The sight of him made Aaron recoil, drawing in a sharp breath. Three long scratches disfigured his face, starting from his left ear going across his nose and lips, down to the bottom of his right cheek. A gash across his shoulder had stained his coat red.
Behind Skyler was Ella, looking tired and weary. Aaron spotted Kyran with the last group of bikers. A first look confirmed he was unhurt, but his expression held the same tiredness and fatigue as his fellow Hunters.
All the Hunters parked their bikes carelessly in the street. The majority of them dragged themselves off their bikes and into their cottages, struggling to keep upright. The mages of Salvador offered a helping hand, but most shrugged them away, choosing to go by themselves. There were some Hunters, like Zulf, that seemed less worn out. These few dismounted their bikes and walked over to speak with Scott.
Aaron followed behind Kyran, keeping a few steps back. He watched as Kyran staggered his way upstairs, his footsteps dragging loudly on the stairs. Kyran opened his door, so tired he could barely keep his head up. He swayed on his feet before he made his way over to the bed and fell face first onto it, without even taking off his coat. Aaron closed the door for him before going into the next room, finding Sam and Rose seated on their respective beds, surrounded by books.
“Hey,” Sam greeted him. “Good show?”
Aaron shook his head. “Scary show, more like it,” he said. He glanced at the dozen books scattered across both beds. “Wow, you were busy,” he remarked. “Find anything good?”
The twins shared a look.
“You can say that.” Sam teased.
“Oh my God, Aaron.” Rose grinned. “Wait till you hear this.”
14
A Lesson in History
“Here, sit.” Rose patted the spot next to her.
Aaron sank into it, feeling nervous all of a sudden, eyeing the thick book in her lap. It was leather bound, brown with silver writing across the front and spine: Mages Who Made History – Cornelius Backbroth.
“So me and Sam looked through a few of these,” Rose said. “Skimmed them, actually. You know what I’m like with history books.”
“Give her thrillers and she’s all eyes, but history?” Sam wrinkled his nose and stuck out a tongue. “Uck, no, she’ll be sick!”
Rose whacked him with the book, making Sam and Aaron bo
th yelp.
“Ow! That hurt,” Sam whined.
“Careful!” Aaron cried. “That book looks ancient. It’ll fall apart.”
“It’s supposed to hurt and no it won’t,” Rose answered both boys. “Now, as I was saying...” She rested the book in her lap and turned to Aaron. “We were looking for books about Aric. It was so annoying – there’s absolutely no order or catalogue in those shops. Books are just dumped at random. It took us hours to find anything useful.” She paused to glance at the book in her hands. “But after reading this, I can see why Ella got mad at you for not knowing who Aric was.”
“Why?” Aaron asked. “Who is he?”
Rose leant in closer, wearing a smile. “The first mage to walk the Earth.”
Aaron gaped at her. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Rose held up the book. “This has references to all mages who have done extraordinary things to help not only this realm, but the human one too.” She opened the book, drawing the pages apart to almost midway, and began to read.
“But these brave and courageous mages pale against the one who came first,” she read. “The Legend of Aric goes back centuries, though some argue it may have been the beginning of time itself. Of course, there is no way to know for certain.” Rose cleared her throat. “Tales of Aric have always been popular. Parents tell their young the heroics of Aric as a bedtime story to give inspiration and comfort, to tell the coming generations who we are and why we came into existence.”
Rose glanced up at Aaron, who tried to keep his expression clear. Perhaps he was the only mage who hadn’t grown up with stories of Aric. He nodded stiffly at Rose to go on.
“It is said that when the realms were first created, it was deemed impossible to pass between them,” Rose read. “No one knows how the demons came to this realm. Some say the mouth of Hell itself opened and spewed these creatures out. Some insist the demons were always a part of this world. However they came to be, the demons ravaged this realm. They killed the life forms that resided here until none were left – no one to torture but each other. These vicious beasts turned into monsters, left tormented and twisted by their attacks on one another. They became hungrier with time, thirsting after the flesh of the innocent. They clawed and thrashed at the barrier that separated the realms. Their brutal attack didn’t stop, continuing for decades, until finally the barrier gave way and tore.” Rose looked up at Aaron to see his horror. “The demons, driven mad by hunger, ripped their way into the realm of the human race.”
Aaron had already worked out which realms were in question, but the revelation still made goosebumps erupt along his flesh.
“The demons feasted on the defenceless humans. They caused such havoc in the world of mankind that the Heavens could take no more. They sent a being, one with untold powers, to Earth. His name was Aric.”
Sam let out a whistle. “Neat, huh?” he said. “Imagine having that title: Aric, saviour of all the realms.”
“Aric was created for the sole purpose of protecting mankind.” Rose continued. “Heaven bestowed powers upon him, so Aric could control the four elements of all the realms: Fire, Earth, Water and Air.”
“We already figured that out,” Sam said, sounding rather pleased with himself.
“We?” Aaron inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. You figured it out. Well done.”
Aaron nodded at him.
Rose cleared her throat to get the boys’ attention. “Aric vowed to purge the demons from the human realm. He fought like no other could and killed like no other would. ‘Ruthless’ and ‘fearless’ are two words often associated with the great Aric. His battles have become legendary, often held as an exemplary model to Hunters.”
“Everyone wants to be like Aric the hero,” Sam said. “Understandable.”
“But Aric, as fierce as he was, soon came to realise that he was but one mage against an army of hundreds of thousands,” Rose continued. “No matter how much he fought, or how many demons he killed, it was not enough to save the humans. So Aric raised his hands to the Heavens and asked for his own army – a band of brothers that would fight alongside him, shoulder to shoulder. Aric’s prayers were answered and he was blessed with a brotherhood, so loyal and strong it terrified the demons. Years passed, and Aric led his hidden army across the human realm, eradicating the demons whilst keeping the human race oblivious. Over time, the demons grew weaker, their numbers diminishing at the hands of Aric and his army. The demons were forced into hiding, fleeing from the human realm. Aric claimed victory.”
“Whoa,” Aaron breathed. “Wonder how long that took?”
“It doesn’t say,” Rose replied, lowering the book and closing it. “Maybe in one of the other books it might give exact timelines.” She shook her head. “But wait till you hear the interesting part.” She lifted up another book, a thin, grey one with a faded title. “According to this, when it was deemed safe again for the human race, the Heavens called the mages back,” Rose said. “Their purpose was complete. Aric and his brotherhood had brought the demon race to their knees. All the mages were willing to return – all but Aric. He didn’t want to go back because he had fallen in love.” She smiled. “With a human.”
“What?” Aaron gasped. “He fell for a human?”
“Yep,” Sam said. “Couldn’t believe it myself.” He nodded at Rose. “Keep listening, it gets better.”
“I’ve read three accounts of the same story,” Rose said. “All of them state that the Heavens granted Aric his request as a reward for all he had done. But they warned him that although he could live on Earth, he wasn’t permitted to stay in the human realm. Aric could visit the girl he was in love with but he couldn’t be with her.”
“What’s the point in that?” Aaron asked.
“See from afar, but never get close,” Sam mused. “Sounds like my relationship with Ella.”
Rose rolled her eyes at Sam, while Aaron ignored him, too engrossed in the tale of Aric.
“What did Aric do?” Aaron asked.
“He agreed.” Rose replied. “He stood back and watched as his family of mages ascended to Heaven, while he was left behind.” The corners of her mouth dropped. “Alone in the mage realm.”
“That’s...kinda sad,” Aaron said. “Imagine being the only one left of your kind.”
“Extinction doesn’t sound fun at all,” Sam commented.
“According to legend, Aric obeyed the rules,” Rose said, holding up the thin, grey book. “He often visited the girl, known only as Angela, but he didn’t stay in her realm. It turns out the human realm can’t tolerate mages and their power.” She flipped open the book to the relevant page and held it out for Aaron to see. “Aric had protected and saved the human realm from demons. He couldn’t allow its destruction by his own power.”
“But that’s not really true.” Aaron frowned. “I’ve lived all my life there and nothing happened. I mean, not until...” He trailed off.
Sam and Rose shifted, clearly uncomfortable at the mention of the power Aaron had displayed and that resulted in them losing everything they had.
Rose cleared her throat. “Maybe it was different for Aric,” she said. “You never did anything for fourteen years, but Aric had already been using his powers for years, fighting the demons. Maybe his presence was too strong,” she suggested. “Anyway, Angela started a relationship with Aric, ignorant of his origins,” Rose continued, “but when Aric’s visits became less frequent, Angela grew worried and distressed. When they met again, after months, Angela demanded to know where Aric had gone. Why did he stay away from her for months at a time?”
“In other words, ‘Who you messing with behind my back?’” Sam grinned.
“Basically.” Rose nodded. “Aric proclaimed his fidelity, assuring her that she was his one true love. But when Angela refused to back down and demanded the truth from him, Aric took a leap of faith and revealed his identity.”
Aaron grimaced. “That co
uldn’t have gone well.”
Sam chuckled. “Hey, honey, I’m not cheating on you, but I do have superpowers that will destroy your world. She must have loved that.”
“Loved it enough to run screaming to the hills,” Aaron commented, shaking his head. “She probably figured he was a mental case.” He looked back at Rose. “So that’s the nail in the coffin of Aric and Angela’s relationship then?”
“Actually, she believed him,” Rose said with a smile. “There are accounts that state she said that she’d always known deep down that Aric was different to other men. She told Aric that if he couldn’t live with her in her world, then she would go with him and live in his.” She grinned. “They moved to this realm and got married.”
“They got what?” Aaron exclaimed.
“Married,” Sam repeated. “The whole ‘I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband that is a superhero and a kick-ass demon Hunter, blah-blah-blah.’” He waved a hand. “You know, married?”
“I don’t understand,” Aaron said. “Married? Aric married a human?”
“Yes,” Rose replied, “and they lived the rest of their life in this realm with one another. They had six children, giving birth to the lineage of mages.”
Aaron snapped his head up to look at Rose.
She nodded, her smile widening. “The mages,” she started, “have Aric as their forefather and Angela – a human – as their foremother.”
“We’re part human,” Aaron breathed. The revelation felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him.
“Exactly!” Sam sat up. “All of the mages are part human.”
Aaron remembered what his dad had said, the night he told him he was a mage. Different, not human, but we have humanity, Aaron. We’re the same in most ways.
“Humanity,” Aaron murmured. “That’s what my dad meant,” he said, a little louder. “We have humanity because we’re part human.”
“It makes you think, doesn’t it?” Sam said. “All their bellyaching about humans being weak and useless, and they’re part human themselves.”
