by Mazhar, S
Aaron watched as the bars almost reached the top, before suddenly stopping. They slammed down again, locking the three walls of the Q-Zone.
“Oh thank God,” Aaron breathed.
The grey bars were back but the veil that usually covered the Q-Zone was still missing, allowing Aaron to see everything that was happening. The Lycans were ferociously trying to attack the Hunters, who were guarding the one and only exit.
Skyler was pushing the Lycans back, using his power to throw the beasts against the walls and hold them there. But somehow the Lycans were fighting back, managing to claw, rip and tear their way closer to the line of Hunters. Bullets, blades, powers – everything was being thrown at the Lycans but they were still getting closer to the exit by the second.
Two Lycans, their fur stained with blood and daggers still embedded in their legs, managed to get past the rain of bullets and jolts of power. They went straight for Ryan and Sarah, sinking their fangs into both Hunters. In a heartbeat, Aaron was racing down the hill towards the Q-Zone. He was almost there when the two Lycans leapt past the wall, successfully escaping the Q-Zone and leaving Ryan and Sarah’s convulsing bodies behind them.
Aaron came to a stop, wide eyes fixed on the pair of bloodstained beasts as they licked their jowls and stared at him with slitted yellow eyes. Snarling at him, they went down on all fours, tensing their muscles and getting ready to pounce. Aaron gathered up as much of his concentration as he could, fighting back the crippling fear that was trying to overwhelm him. He cupped both hands and held them ready. The Lycans let out twin growls and came at him, fangs and claws bared. Aaron threw out his hands and the ground under him shook before cracking. Two simultaneous ripples tore across the ground and caught the Lycans, hitting them with enough force to throw them back into the Q-Zone. Through the clear wall, Aaron saw Skyler and Julian empty their guns into the beasts before they could get up. Skyler looked around at Aaron with just a hint of a smile crossing his lips. He nodded at Aaron in silent praise and turned, focusing on the rest of the Lycans.
Without hesitation, Aaron ran into the Q-Zone, coming to Ryan and Sarah’s side as they lay bleeding, writhing on the ground. The Lycans closed in, dodging the bullets and blades. Aaron stood up and threw out his hands again – but this time the ripple didn’t work. The ground shook, small cracks formed, but no mighty jolt of power threw back the crowd of beasts. He saw Ella and Skyler sending their own powers at the Lycans but they didn’t amount to much either.
Aaron didn’t have the time to wonder what was happening, why their powers were failing. All he could focus on were the snarling beasts, trying to get near enough to rip them apart. Seeing the Lycans this close made Aaron’s knees weak with fear. Their hideous faces were distinctly dog-like. They had overbearing foreheads, and yellow eyes with slitted black pupils. They had snouts and their wide lips pulled back to show sharp fangs.
Before Aaron could take out his guns, Kyran and Zhi-Jiya reached him. Kyran pushed Aaron back, towards the exit.
“Out, Ace!” he instructed before leaning down and picking Sarah up in his arms.
Despite Kyran’s command, Aaron hurried forward to help Zhi-Jiya pull Ryan to his feet.
“I’ve lost control of the zone!” Scott’s voice, twisted by panic, was barely recognisable as it echoed in Aaron’s head. “I can’t get the locks to stay in place!” There was a moment’s pause before he cried, “Get out. Everyone get out! Abort the hunt!”
“No!” Ella yelled. “Not when we’re this close!”
She aimed her hands at the walls. A thick block of ice, almost as tall as the walls themselves, encased the three walls. There was no way anyone was getting through that. But as soon as she lowered her hands, the ice melted and disappeared.
“What?” Ella gasped. “What’s going on?” she shrieked.
“Abort the hunt!” Scott instructed. “You have less than three minutes. Get out of there!”
“Come on!” Zhi-Jiya yelled and stepped past the glowing wall, supporting Ryan. Kyran followed after her with Sarah in his arms. “Ace!” he stopped to yell. “Out! Now!” He ran past the wall with a convulsing Sarah in his arms.
Aaron neared the exit, but didn’t step out of the Q-Zone, not until the rest of the Hunters had joined him. The Hunters began moving back, still keeping the Lycans pushed against the locked walls with their bullets, blades and weakening jolts of power. All the Hunters reached the exit, except for Zulf.
“Come on!” Ella yelled at him, while firing more bullets into the struggling Lycans.
“Go!” Zulf yelled, both arms extended to either side of him. “I’ll keep them in!”
“Zulf!” Ella cried, her eyes widening with shocked horror. “No!”
“I’m not letting these dogs out again!” Zulf yelled, twisting back to look at Ella, his eyes dark with determination. “Go! I’ll keep the locks down. Get out, Ella!”
“Two minutes!” Scott counted down. “What are you doing? I said abort the hunt! Get out of there!”
Aaron looked back at the bars and then at Zulf – at his stance, with both arms extended outwards. He was the one who was holding down the locks. Scott had lost control; it was Zulf who was keeping the three walls of the Q-Zone under lockdown so that the Lycans couldn’t escape. That meant if Zulf dropped his arms or stepped out of the Q-Zone, the bars would lift and the Lycans would be free again. The realisation of what Zulf was planning to do stole Aaron’s very breath.
“Zulf!” he choked out. “Zulf, no!”
“Go!” Zulf snarled.
“Time’s up!” Scott’s voice thundered in their heads. “What are you doing? Get out! Ninety seconds! Get OUT!”
The ground started to tremble.
“Zulf!” Skyler snapped, throwing jolts of power at the Lycans that were trying frantically to get to the Hunters. “Enough! Get back now!”
“I’m not losing this hunt,” Zulf said. “We’re not losing another zone. This one, we’re getting back!” He twisted around to look at Ella. “Eight months,” he hissed. “It took us eight months to get here. It’s not going to be for nothing!”
The ground under their feet began to shake as the Q-Zone started its collapse. Ella threw out her hands, encasing the Lycans in ice, but it didn’t last. They broke out of their frozen cage almost immediately. Skyler tried again and again to hold the Lycans back with his power, but it didn’t last long either.
“Sixty seconds!” Scott counted down. “Everyone out! Now!”
“Go!” Zulf urged.
Ella and the rest stepped towards the edge of the wall, every eye on Zulf, every bullet, blade and power aimed at keeping the Lycans away from Zulf. They hesitated to step out and leave their fellow Hunter, for he would be torn apart by the raging Lycans as soon as they did.
“Twenty seconds!” Scott was screaming in their heads. “Why aren’t you getting out? What’s the problem? Talk to me!”
No one had held onto their pendant to tell him what Zulf was planning on doing. Scott didn’t know he was about to lose one of his Hunters.
“Ten seconds!”
The Hunters moved as one, inching backwards, eyes still on Zulf who was holding the bars down in place.
“Five seconds!”
Firing their last shots at the Lycans, the Hunters forced themselves past the wall and stepped out, Aaron along with them. The moment he was out, Aaron turned to see Kyran and Zhi-Jiya running full pelt at them. They had obviously taken Ryan and Sarah to the Empaths and only just returned.
Kyran came to a stop, breathing heavily. His narrowed eyes moved from Aaron, and down the line of Hunters before glancing behind them, at the transparent wall. His eyes widened when he saw Zulf, standing alone in the deteriorating Q-Zone, surrounded by furious Lycans.
“ZULF!” he yelled and darted forward, only to be grabbed by Skyler and Julian. “NO!”
In a tremendous blast, the Q-Zone collapsed and vanished, taking the Lycans – and Zulf – with it.
***
&
nbsp; “What the hell happened, Scott?” Skyler raged, pacing the spot where the Q-Zone had been moments ago.
“I don’t know,” Scott’s broken voice replied in all the Hunter’s minds. “I’ve...I’ve heard of this but...I never thought it was possible.”
Most of the Hunters had sunk to the ground, devastated with the death of one of their own. A few remained upright, but only because they were too angry to sit. Aaron turned to look at Kyran, who hadn’t moved from the spot where Zulf had been standing last.
“What?” Skyler asked, anger visible in every line of his face. “What’s not possible?”
“The Zone was warded,” Scott replied after a pause.
“What?” Zhi-Jiya asked. “That’s insane!”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Scott said. “I lost control of the Q-Zone because it was taken from me.”
“By who?” Aaron asked, holding on to his pendant.
“Hadrian,” Scott replied. “Hadrian’s protecting his zones. He’s using the Scorcher’s power to ward them. It was the Scorcher’s power that sabotaged the Q-Zone.”
Kyran suddenly wrenched his pendant from his neck, snapping the chain. He threw it aside furiously and turned to walk away, heading to the newly set up Gate.
“Kyran.” Ella went after him, but Skyler held on to her arm, stopping her.
“Let him go,” he said quietly. “He needs to deal, his own way.”
Aaron watched as Kyran strode past Lexi and walked out of the Gate, disappearing behind the bright flash of light.
***
It was dark when the Hunters returned to Salvador. Lanterns lit the night sky but even their glow wasn’t enough to pierce through the melancholy that hung like a thick curtain over the city. As usual, everyone was gathered in the street when Hunters returned from the Q-Zone hunt, but this time when the Gate opened and the Hunters rode in, there was no rejoicing. No one cheered. No one slapped their hands on the Hunters’ backs in praise of a job well done. Truth was, although the hunt had ended with the Lycans destroyed and a Gate in place, it was not a victory. The mages had gained another zone but had lost one of their own.
The Hunters parked their bikes in the street and got off, their movements slow and drained. With tired steps they made their way towards the table where the residents were crowded.
Aaron pulled himself off Zhi-Jiya’s bike. He was exhausted, drained with all he had witnessed today. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Zulf standing in the Q-Zone, alone and ready to die. He couldn’t erase that last look Zulf had given them. The determination was visible in every line of his body. He was willing and ready to sacrifice himself, that much was clear to see, but there had also been a hint of fear on Zulf. Aaron had seen it in his grim expression and at the very centre of his fierce eyes: the regret of cutting his life short. Zulf was only nineteen; it was hardly an age to die.
Aaron’s thoughts went to Kyran. He was hurting, having lost his best friend. It wasn’t just Kyran, though – everyone was genuinely upset at Zulf’s demise. Even Skyler, who seemed not the type to care about anything beside himself, seemed down and depressed.
Aaron started making his way to the table. He saw Sam and Rose hurrying towards him. He must have looked as awful as he was feeling, for Sam and Rose raced to his side with worried looks on their faces.
“Aaron,” Rose called, somewhat nervously.
Aaron shook his head at her, signalling he was okay as he made his way down the cobbled street. He glanced at the crowd behind the twins and stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting at the table, staring at him in shocked horror, were his parents.
32
Visitors
It must have been a full minute where no one said anything. All eyes were on the three Adams. Aaron was vaguely aware of Sam and Rose’s presence somewhere beside him. Slowly, Chris and Kate stood up, staring at Aaron in stunned surprise. Their gaze travelled down Aaron’s attire, stopping at his belt, where Aaron had his pistol sitting in its holster.
“What is this?” Chris asked, looking back up at Aaron.
Aaron didn’t answer. Chris took a step closer, his green eyes narrowed with anger.
“Aaron? What is this?”
“What does it look like?” Skyler replied for him. He cocked his head and smirked, his tired eyes sharpened back to their usual ice blue. “You should be proud,” he said. “Your son’s a Hunter now, just like us.”
“Hunter?” Chris asked incredulously, his eyes widening. His gaze darted from Aaron to the crowd behind. He took in the Hunter outfit on all of them, before he turned to look at Drake, who was standing quietly next to the table. “Since when did children start hunting?” he asked, shaking with rage.
“About the time adults went into hiding,” Skyler replied.
Chris turned to him with a dangerous look in his eyes, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched. “Save it!” he snarled. “Another word from you and I’ll forget you’re Joseph’s kid!”
Skyler’s demeanour shifted. He went from cocky to enraged in a heartbeat.
“Sky,” Ella whispered from beside him, holding onto his arm. “Sky? Sky, come on. Come on!” Ella managed to drag Skyler away.
Chris watched him go with furious eyes, before turning back to Aaron. “We need to talk,” he said, striding up to him. He took Aaron by the arm but stopped. Aaron had dug his feet into the ground, refusing to move. Keeping his eyes locked with his dad’s, Aaron pulled his arm out of the strong grip.
“Four months,” he said quietly. “You come back after four months and you’re angry at me?”
Chris was staring at Aaron, shock and disbelief written all over him. “Aaron–” he started, shaking his head.
“Four months,” Aaron repeated, his voice a little louder. “Four months, Dad. You disappeared on me–”
“No.” Chris shook his head, wide-eyed. “No, we didn’t. We left you a letter. Your mum–”
“What good was the letter?” Aaron asked. He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the withered folded piece of paper. “What did you actually tell me in this?” he asked, holding it up. “That you were leaving? Yeah, I kind of figured that out, since you weren’t here!”
“Aaron!” Kate stepped forward, her face taut with anger. “That’s enough!”
“No!” Aaron shouted, for the very first time at his mum. “It’s not enough. It’s nowhere near enough!”
Kate gaped at him, completely taken aback.
“We’ll talk inside,” Chris said with forced calm. He reached out for Aaron’s shoulder, so he could guide him towards the nearest cottage.
“No.” Aaron stepped out of his reach. “Is this it, huh? You wanna talk so we’ll talk? When I want to talk, when I want answers, it’s too bad. I just have to shut up and wait until you’re good and ready.” He shook his head. “I don’t think so, Dad. Now I don’t want to talk to you.”
“It’s not like that,” Chris said. “We weren’t keeping things from you because we wanted to. It’s...it’s difficult to explain.”
“I don’t care!” Aaron spat, so angry he could feel his whole body tense and his fingertips tingle. “I don’t care how difficult it is. You should still tell me! You should’ve told me, about a lot of things, a long time ago!”
“Aaron.” Chris looked exasperated, close to his wit’s end. “Please, just...just come inside so we can talk in private.” He cast a pointed look at the crowd behind Aaron.
But Aaron shook his head resolutely. “I don’t want to talk to you, not any more.”
“Aaron,” Kate tried, her voice calmer, gentler.
“You had your chance,” Aaron cut her off. “You could have answered my questions but you didn’t. You left me.” His words choked in his throat but Aaron kept going, using his anger as momentum. “You left me here, alone, and went off to do God knows what! You didn’t tell me a single thing about this realm, or anything that could’ve helped me. You disappear on me for months and don’t even think to s
end me a note or a message of some sort to tell me you’re okay, or how long–”
“Wait, wait.” Chris held up a hand, his eyes narrowed. “You didn’t get our letters?”
Aaron stilled, staring at him. “Other than the one you left for me, no.”
Chris turned to look at Drake with surprise. “You didn’t pass my letters on to Aaron?”
All eyes turned to Drake, who stood next to the table, staring back at Chris. “I would have,” he replied, “if I had received any.”
Chris stared at him. “I must’ve sent you twenty letters,” he said. “You didn’t receive any of them?”
Drake shook his head. “No, I didn’t,” he said. “I had thought you wouldn’t risk sending messages, so I didn’t think much of their absence.”
“I had left my son here,” Chris said, a quiet fury in his voice. “Of course I would have sent word back.” He turned back to Aaron, his expression one of remorse. “Aaron,” he started. “I…I’m sorry. I thought you were receiving my letters. I explained in them what was going on...” He trailed off, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t know what happened. My letters should have reached you.”
“But they didn’t,” Aaron said. “I’ve not heard from you ever since the day you left me here.”
“Aaron–” Kate stepped towards him.
“No,” Aaron cut her off. “You can’t just disappear on me and return after months and expect–”
“I’m afraid that’s my fault,” a deep, baritone voice interrupted.
Aaron looked around to see a man approaching from the path behind the cottages, with Scott trailing behind him. The man was tall and muscular with wide shoulders. His brown hair was pulled back, neatly arranged into a small ponytail. A short goatee beard adorned his handsome face. His eyes, Aaron noticed, were the strangest shade of blue and violet he had ever seen.
“I think your parents didn’t realise how long it would take to find me,” he said with a small smile.
There was something about him, about his overwhelming presence that commanded a hush over everyone. The Hunters and residents of Salvador seemed overjoyed at the sight of the man, judging by their wide smiles, but not a single person spoke. Aaron realised who the man was. It could only be Neriah Afton, the oldest Elemental and leader of the mages.
