Although I might have acted in anger, I stood by the decision to end the miserable little twat’s existence. For so long, I thought that I needed him as my inside man. In my own way, I had become dependent on him, and he used that against me. I let his crimes fall to the wayside, as I told myself the information that he provided absolved him of those sins. All the while, he was working to increase his own standing behind closed doors, and he was using the demons to do it. Stillman had built himself quite the mini empire, and now I had rendered all of it to dust.
One good thing had come out of the entire fiasco. We had found out that Britta’s parents were still alive. It was good for her that they weren’t dead. It was good for me because if I had killed them, I wouldn’t have been able to trust her with anything. That was where being thankful for them not being dead ended. They still refused to join their daughters and fight with us. In fact, they had cut all ties with Britta after Stillman’s death. It was sad to see the love of a parent turn so cruel.
Britta had handled it well. She had been training harder than ever and had already joined a few different teams on demon clean-up duty. She was a real pro. On the other side of it was Nikki. She refused to train unless it was with Nitro. All of her field reports had come back with stellar reviews. It didn’t help that she was sleeping with the man who wrote them. I trusted that Nitro would help her find her way.
The phone rang, and I cast a glance out of my office door to Henry. He shrugged his shoulders, which I took to mean that he hadn’t transferred the call in. I put down my pipe, a little perturbed to have been stirred out of my musings. I hoped whoever was on the other end of the line had something important to tell me. “Hello.”
“Adam, you might not remember me, but this is Jared Longfellow.” The speaker paused for a moment to let his words sink in. “As the newest judicator on the Council, I’ve been asked to reach out to you. As I’m sure you are aware, we have been meeting to decide what course of action to take after a member of this Council was murdered in cold blood.”
That didn’t fill me with a lot of hope for this call ending in my favor. I wondered just what was going to happen. Outside of starting an all-out war with us, there wasn’t much else they could do. They had cut off our funding over a year ago. They had isolated us from the rest of the Gifted and left us to face the demon threat alone.
“I’m well aware of the situation.” My words came out frostier than I had intended.
“As you know, normally killing a sitting member of the Council would have dire ramifications.”
That sounds a little more promising.
“In this case, though, and let me be frank. We all hated the bastard. He had dirt on all of us. Frankly, Adam, you did us a big goddamned favor.”
“Well, that is a relief to hear, Jared.” I put a hand over the receiver and let out a sigh of relief. Any kind of retaliation from the Council now would have been debilitating to our organization. The fact that they felt relieved about his death was something I couldn’t have expected. Finally something had actually gone our way.
“We did a little house cleaning over here and removed some of the bad apples. I’ve been asked to make a proposal to you.”
“Please continue.” This was where the bad news had to come in. They couldn’t just let everything slide. It would make them look weak. I hoped whatever he offered me as token of submission wasn’t too horrible for me to agree to.
“In light of recent events that have come to our attention and our previous longstanding commitment to the Ascendancy, we would like to extend an olive branch.”
Now this was almost something I couldn’t believe. The stories told by those fleeing Stillman’s residence must have been truly terrifying for them to extend any kind of offer. Damn, I should have killed the traitorous bastard years ago.
“We would like to resume our funding of your organization. The only caveat is that we would like the doors to once again be opened to all who qualify to train there. Also, part of Stillman’s assets will be awarded to you, as well as the lifting of any previous sanctions placed on you by the Council. One final thing we would like to do is offer you a seat back at the table.”
He hesitated as he spoke the last part. I guess I would be afraid of my response as well. The Council was something I created long ago. Being thrown out of it had been exceedingly difficult for me to get over, and they wanted me back, but not as a leader. It would be foolish for me not to take this opportunity to gain some influence back. If they could offer an olive branch, then I could graciously accept one.
“I thank you for your kindness, Jared. I would be more than happy to accept your offer.” An audible sigh came through the phone. “Although there is one more thing I must ask of you.” I could feel the tension strumming through the phone line. “We could use a little additional manpower to clean up some of our demon problems.”
“Then you shall have it. I’ll make a few calls and get back to you with the details.”
“Thank you, Jared. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
The line went dead, and I sat back and smiled. That had pretty much been the exact opposite of everything I had been expecting. I guess I wouldn’t really find out what was going on until I attended one of the Council meetings. Part of me was satisfied with the end result, but another part of me felt like all of that was too easy. If anything in life was easy, then it was a trap. I’d have to be wary of what was happening until they proved to me that they could be trusted again. I truly hoped it was the case. Warring amongst ourselves only hurt all of us.
Henry poked his head in the door. “Are you ready for your appointment?”
I couldn’t help but smile at the man. He had been the love of my life for over a century. After all the ups and downs, we had found the perfect balance. I loved him as much now as I did the day we met. If anything, maybe even more so. I knew he was wondering why I was smiling. He would have thought it was strange after an anonymous call and the simple question he asked, but I just couldn’t help myself.
I tried to contain my grin. “Yes, send them in.”
Henry smiled back at me and then shook his head as he walked away. His smiling and confused visage was replaced with April and Marcus. On looks alone, the pair couldn’t be much different. April was white with red hair, short, and externally fit. Marcus was black with dreads, taller than six feet, and slightly pudgy. I smiled seeing them together. It once again proved that friendship didn’t care what you looked like.
“Please take a seat.” I waved at the two open chairs in front of my desk.
They sat down, shared a look between themselves, and then focused on me. “April, I know you’ve been working extremely hard to get back to form. To reward the both of you for your hard work, I have a job for you.”
“I’m ready,” April said without hesitation.
“It’s better than sitting around,” Marcus said with a shrug.
That wasn’t exactly the kind of enthusiasm I was looking for. Despite my giddy feeling from the call I just had, I realized both of these kids were still hurting. “There is a house in Las Vegas that I need you to check out. There have been some rumblings about demon activity there for a while, but we just haven’t had the people to spare.”
“Vegas baby, hell yeah!” Marcus said, a smile finally breaking out.
Ah, so the lure of Las Vegas was all I needed to get the youth of today excited. I’d have to remember that later when I wanted to reward someone for a job well done.
“Just remember we still have a job to do,” April said, giving Marcus a nudge.
“Whatever, Mom,” Marcus said, still smiling from ear to ear.
“When we’re done, I’ll get you a room on the strip and you can hit as many of the clubs as you want, but work has to come first,” April said with an appeasing smile.
“All I heard was dancing and gambling.”
“First, take care of the house.” I made sure Marcus was watching me and then added, “Got it?” I kep
t his eyes locked with mine and gave him a stare that would have wilted flowers. He kept smiling, oblivious to my tone. I was happy that April was going with him. Someone needed to be able to rein him in.
“You got it, boss. Come on, April, let’s go get ready.” He nearly leaped from his chair in his haste to get out of the office before I could change my mind.
I stood up and handed April a sheet of paper with an address on it. She took it and followed Marcus out of my office. I was doing the right thing, wasn’t I? She needed to get out of this place and stretch her wings a little bit. Sitting here and pining for Jackson wasn’t going to help matters. It was hard to wrap my head around the thought, but he might never come back.
Some low-level demon hunting ought to be just the thing to snap her out of her funk and get her back into the game. I was going to need these two if we were going to destroy all the demons that made it into our world. This would be the first step in a long fight. Eventually the demons wouldn’t be anything but bad memories.
CHAPTER 14
JACKSON
It had been two weeks since my last fight, and my body was finally feeling better. It seemed the fast healing I gained while being in beast form only extended so far. Mom had told me that your first change was rough, but I hadn’t expected anything like what it had actually felt like. It kind of made me think of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. At the end, a guy gets run over by a steamroller; that’s pretty much how I felt when I woke up.
The best part about the downtime was the extra time I got to spend with my dad. He told me the story of how he and my mother had met, and when he fell in love with her. He talked about the Ascendancy and how important it was. It wasn’t all one sided. As much as I wanted to know about him, he felt the same way about me. He peppered me with questions about my life, and I knew he truly cared.
For the last few days, we had been training. He knew more about magic and swordsmanship than anyone I had ever worked with before. His magic flowed so flawlessly through him that it made Marcus’s control look tenuous at best. It made me feel like I was back to the first day I had ever cast a spell. In hell, he had been forced to fight for his life. He was Adramelech’s best fighter. The demon fought him often and reaped the rewards of his wins.
I knew the demon wouldn’t want to let him go. There had to be something that he wasn’t telling us. There was no way he would give up the status that came with owning the best fighter in hell. The crucible had become the centerpiece of his empire. It made him the kind of money that built this castle. He wouldn’t just let us leave.
I couldn’t voice my fears to my father. They always had someone with us or someone watching from the shadows. It was easier for John to ignore. He had been enduring it for nineteen years. Being under constant surveillance grated my nerves. I never knew when one of our watchers might turn into one of our assassins. None of them had been anything but curious and cordial yet, but that could change quickly if they received a new command from our captor.
John and I were just wrapping up our morning training when Salina strode into our rooms. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Adramelech has prepared another battle for you, son of John. Be ready to leave in one hour.”
She walked from the room, each step slow and tantalizing. I turned back to John. “So what do you think?”
“You’ll be able to use your magic this time. Using the same trick against you wouldn’t sell well enough. Especially now that the demons know you can transform. All you can do is be ready for anything. They’ve been running these fights for thousands of years. Adramelech has tricks up his sleeves that even I haven’t seen.”
“I’ll feel better with my magic at my side. Having it stripped away like that was such a shock.” Just remembering the feeling of not having my powers almost brought me to my knees. I hadn’t realized just how much a part of me they had become until they were gone. I never wanted to feel that way again.
“Just remember, if you have your magic, the demons you face will most likely have it as well. It won’t be easy, but you can do this.”
“I won’t lose. There is too much waiting for me at home to fail now.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I know what you mean, Jackson. Let’s end this and get home to our loved ones.”
He would know exactly what I meant. Mom was waiting at home for him now and had been for nineteen years. If anyone could help me sort through my feelings on what was happening to me now, it would be my dad. I hoped Sarah was there for April. She would need a strong presence to help her through this.
John left the room, and I headed for the shower. I would need to get some food after I finished cleaning up. There was no way I could enter the crucible without eating something first. Our workout had wiped me out. If I had known about the upcoming battle, I wouldn’t have pushed so hard today. Two more fights and we were out of here. That was all I needed to focus on. After today, we would almost be home free.
SALINA CAME BACK to fetch me just before the hour was up. I followed her down the hall and out into the waiting carriage. Her manner toward me had grown cold and aloof since I had rejected her advances. It was nothing more than another manipulation. The cold shoulder only really worked if you cared for the person. I had no feelings about the demon one way or the other. It helped me to brush off her chilling presence.
When the carriage door opened, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. It almost looked as if she was impressed. When she noticed me watching, it turned cruel and her eyes turned hard. “Don’t let us down, or it will be your father who pays the price.”
She shoved me the final foot out of the carriage and slammed the door closed before I could ask her a question. So demons did have feelings, or at least this one was skilled enough to pretend that it did. That was something that I hadn’t expected. The similarities between our races seemed to grow almost daily. I turned away from the carriage as it moved back toward the castle, and walked down the hallway into the crucible.
As I grew closer to the cage door, the air grew warmer and a harsh sun beat down upon me. The tiles leading up to the edge of the chamber were covered in golden sand. I was going to be fighting in a desert arena for the next match. I wondered what exactly I would be facing this time. Would it be another fight to the death against multiple challengers, or would it be something else? John had told me more about the near infinite possibilities they could come up with. It boggled the mind knowing how much time and effort they put into their games.
The demons surrounding the crucible grew quiet. Adramelech’s voice rang out. “Today we bring you for the second time, Jackson, son of John. In today’s match, he will face the nest!”
Wild cheering broke out around the entire crucible. Whatever was coming next, I just had to be ready. If the demons were enjoying it this much already, it wouldn’t be good. I thought about April waiting for me back at home and how much I wanted to see her again. The perfect picture of her face floated across the top of my mind. I could hear her telling me You got this. And then the door to the crucible opened. It was time to fight. Nothing else mattered now except to live.
Stepping out onto the hot sand reminded me of my first time on the arena floor, fighting against April. She kicked my ass that day. The sand made it harder to move, but I was used to that now. Funny how training in different conditions always seemed so pointless until your life depended on it. This sand was a little bit denser than the sand on the arena floor. I could move pretty well on top of it, but that didn’t mean it was safe.
The thing about sand was it could cover up almost anything. From one step to the next, you could find yourself in a hole, or sinking quickly. All kinds of traps could be disguised with sand. I wasn’t taking the sure footing I felt right now for granted. I moved further into the crucible. There wasn’t anywhere to hide; no plant life littered the arena’s floor. It was just an endless expanse of golden brown sand as far as the eye could see. Just who or what was hiding out there in the crucible remained to
be seen. I wondered just what kind of animal or demon flourished in the sand.
I continued to move toward the center of the crucible. Pulling my power in around me, I formed a shield to protect against an attack. The sun beat down on me relentlessly. Looking toward the sky only seemed to make it hotter. There was nothing up there in any direction. At least for now, I wouldn’t have to worry about flying demons. What in the hell was going on? Just what kind of game was Adramelech playing?
Standing in the center of the desert, I spun around in a slow circle, looking for any signs of life. Nothing stood out on the horizon. I wouldn’t be able to stay in here forever. While I could summon water to drink, I didn’t have any food. Maybe I just needed to announce my presence a little bit louder.
The power came to me easily enough. Something about this realm had made me stronger then I was at home. It felt amazing to have my magic responding so effortlessly. I pooled the power around my fist and then slammed it into the sand. The power from the blow rolled out across the sand in a shockwave, the ground rippling in its wake.
I stood up and waited to see if anything would take the bait. Nothing happened for a moment, and then I saw the sand moving toward me. Something was burrowing underneath it, moving toward me at an astonishing rate. My shield snapped back into place, and I prepared for whatever was coming.
Ten feet away from me, it burst through the sand, a shriek of anger coming from its mouth. Two huge eyes focused on me, and a giant tail rose over the creature’s back. The stinger on the giant scorpion’s tail swayed slightly, reminding me of the way a cobra would sway. Its two huge pincers snapped violently, trying to draw my attention away from its tail. As I moved to the side, trying to circle the creature, it moved with me, its claw-tipped legs cutting easily through the sand.
The Rising Darkness (Ascendancy Legacy 5) Page 10
