“Indeed. The beauty of the HASEA in this day and age is that it receives full support from the government. We keep the planet safe, they aid with financing and support. Plus many Pandemonians have forged very successful careers in the human world. We receive regular financial donations.” He stopped talking and pointed towards the floor. My stomach clenched when I realised the marble had vanished. Instead we were hovering in mid-air. Far below us, a maze of metal tubes twisted around one another. Some led to boxed in areas deep underground. Others stretched out in countless directions as far as the eye could see. I tracked one of them back up and saw that it led to a set of elevator doors nearby.
“Below you is the Nexus,” Faru explained. “A subterranean network of elevators that travel at speeds in excess of three hundred miles per hour. It allows us to reach most areas of London in a matter of minutes.”
A few of the tubes shuddered slightly, probably caused by elevators racing through them. Staring at the web of metal tunnels, I had to admit it was pretty impressive. Although my earlier experience of riding inside one had been nausea mixed with terror rather than awe.
Faru’s voice snatched me out of my daydream. “Okay, to finish the explanation.” He straightened upright and drew in a large breath. “Everything was going well on this side. The HASEA was flourishing and we were keeping most of the supernaturals in check. The ones that fought against us, well…” he gave a slow shrug and opened out both hands. “Then it all started to go wrong.”
I placed a hand against a wall near me, my brain still struggling to accept that it was okay to be standing several hundred metres in the air. “I’m listening.”
“As I said, the Ageless War is coming to an end. Many Pandemonians we thought were with us have been re-claiming allegiance to the Hades, most likely in fear as to what will happen after he prevails.”
“What will he do?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Hades craves domination. With The Sorrow serving him, he is unstoppable. Where do you think he will go once he has claimed Pandemonia?”
I breathed in sharply. It was obvious.
“Can’t you send Guardians through to help fight the war?” I suggested.
Faru sighed. “If only it were that simple. The reason we cannot is actually part of a bigger problem. One that involves the Awakenings, and one which has made you very important Alexander.” “And tat is?” “They haven’t been happening.” My eyebrows knitted together. “Huh?” Faru pointed a long slender finger at me. “Alexander, you are the first new Chosen in over three years.” I didn’t know what to say. It was a bit difficult to gauge how important that was. Or what it meant. “There used to be about six hundred new Awakenings every year across the world. Now there are none…apart from you.” “What? I mean why?” “We don’t know, but it is something the other Sages and I have been trying to understand for some time.” Gathering my thoughts I said, “So I presume it’s a problem for the HASEA.”
Faru gave a long sigh and rubbed at his neck absently. “A very large problem. We are being stretched thin, trying to deal with all the Pandemonians. It’s the same all over the world. To make matters worse, since reclaiming allegiance to Hades, many traitorous Pandemonians have formed their own alliance known as the Soldiers of Sorrow. They act on the will of Hades. Over the last two decades, hundreds of Chosen were sought out and killed by the SOS before we had a chance to reach them. It appears that they attempted to do the same to you.”
I remembered the creature that had chased me from the woods. Recalled the hatred I had seen in those blood red eyes. The scent of death which had seemed to ooze from it. I shuddered when I thought of what would have happened if that shadowy figure hadn’t intervened.
“But you managed to protect me,” I said in a small voice.
Faru nodded. “The Coven experience premonitions of Awakenings from time to time. They predicted yours. We have members of the Alliance known as Infiltrators. It’s their job to work themselves into your life so that you turn to them when your Awakening comes. Normally we have much more time between detection and Awakening. In this instance it happened far sooner than we expected, so the infiltration became more to keep you alive and ultimately bring you here.
A cold wave washed over me. He’s talking about Gabriella. She was forced to become my friend. She didn’t want to know me.
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I felt sick to my stomach. Faru’s face clouded with concern, clearly not sure what he had said to upset me.
“Alexander, is something wrong?”
I shook my head, trying not to let tears spill over. “I’m fine,” I managed to croak. I guessed Faru couldn’t read my mind right now, or he would know how betrayed I felt.
Without warning, a sharp pain hit my temples. I yelled out and tried to hold onto something. The nearby wall passed right through my outstretched fingers. I fell to my knees and sank down towards the Nexus. I felt hot and sick. I wiped a shaking hand at the rolls of sweat which were appearing all over my skin and looked up at Faru.
“What’s happening to me?” I managed to yell through the pain.
“We have held the mind connection for too long. I have to release you or it could cause us both damage.”
Faru sank through the floor with me, as we drifted down through the air. He stretched out his right hand and placed it onto the crown of my head. My back arched as once again, electricity surged through my body. The wrld around me grew blurry. The people above us became less defined. Their bodies melted away into shapeless blobs. The house interior broke down, pieces of wood and bricks falling into piles around the unidentifiable mass of people. As my thoughts diminished and the world dissolved around me, I heard Faru’s voice, a megaphone booming in my head.
“Alexander Eden,” he boomed. “It is time for you to become what you were always destined to be.” My head was swimming, his words darting in and out of my brain. I flailed a hand around trying to reach for something. Clutched at nothing.
“A Hero, chosen from billions. The evolution of souls.” His voice grew faint. My view grew darker. Yellow spots flashed like paint specks in my eyes.
“You have a choice to make. You can either deny your true path, or you can join us.”
The words were like whispers as the last circle of light faded from my eyes and the darkness seeped in with its midnight cloak. I could sense the sharp grip of the old Sage once more, his fingernails digging into my skull. I was too far gone to feel the pain. My knees buckled and I fell forward, tumbling faster into the abyss below.
“Alexander Eden, will you join us?”
Even through the swirling feeling of misery still gnawed at my insides, threatening to consume me from the inside out; I knew there was only one real answer. I parted my lips and breathed out a single word.
“Yes.”
Faru clicked his fingers and everything went dark.
My head throbbed and my tongue felt like a damp sock. Unsticking my eyes, I looked around. I was lying on a four poster bed. The room was a blend of dark wood flooring and cream walls. Thick crimson curtains had been pulled together, a solitary shard of light sneaking through a crack in the middle. A dim glow came from a bedside lamp. On the other side stood a grandfather clock; its pendulum swung lethargically from side to side, filling the room with its soft ticking.
Then I noticed the large chair on the far side of the room. Gabriella lay curled up on it, covered by a small blanket. A sense of longing tugged at my stomach. It felt like years since I’d seen her. She sighed softly in her sleep and nestled into the chair. It tugged again.
But directly underneath the desire were the feelings of hurt. Of betrayal. I’d foolishly believed that this girl actually cared about me.
All lies.
It had been her job to get me here. I was an assignment.
Forcing myself to look away, I stared up at the beamed ceiling. My mind replayed everything Faru had told me. Lying in this bed, it would be easy to pass everything off as a crazy
dream. But being here at all meant the very opposite. My headache grew worse, so I let my eyes drift together.
I must have dozed off, because I awoke to the sensation of being watched. Gabriella was sitting upright in the chair, gaze focused intently on me. Seeing that I was awake she bolted out of the chair, sending the blanket sliding along the floorboards. “Alex!” she exclaimed. “How are you feeling?” I let out a thick groan. “That good huh?” she smiled and sat on the bed. “What happened?” I croaked. “Why do I feel so rough?” “It’s a side effect of mind merging. You should feel better soon.” “How long have I been out?” Gabriella looked up at the grandfather clock, which ticked in response. “About fourteen hours.” “Wow, that’s one hell of a power nap.” I lifted a cement hand and rubbed at my sticky eyes. “Where am I?” “Still at the Warren, in my room actually.” “You live here?” She nodded, sending raven hair spilling down her face. Absently she swept at the strands with the back of a hand.
A sudden wave of sickness rushed through me. I leaned over for a glass of water which had been placed on the table. My shaking fingers knocked it off the edge. Before the glass could hit the ground, Gabriella shot out a hand and caught it without spilling a drop. “Here, let me,” she offered, motioning towards my lips. “I can do it myself thanks!” I barked, snatching it from her. She looked taken aback. “Alex is everything okay?” Without drinking, I lowered the glass.
“Is that a joke? Ella, I thought you were my friend. But it was all an act wasn’t it? You don’t care about me at all. You just wanted to get me here!”
Her eyes went wide. “No, that’s not true!” She tried to take my hand, but I snatched it away. The look in her eyes suggested she were about to cry. The notion knotted my stomach. But I was hurt.
“Then after everything I’ve been through,” I persisted, “kidnapping, car accident, accidently almost killing someone and getting dragged halfway through London’s underground system-oh and nearly flattened by a train, I find out that monsters exist! For all I know Dracula is a biography! But hey, that’s okay because it’s my job to fight the really bad ones. Because I was chosen. I don’t get a say. Apparently my soul decided this before we’d been formally introduced. So no, for your information everything is not okay!” My anger added handfuls of spite into the last few words. Gabriella recoiled as if struck.
Drained, I flopped back onto the mattress. My head buzzed angrily.
I felt a hand take mine. I tried to move, but Gabriella held on tight. The charges were soon replaced by a warm sensation which flowed through my body. Almost instantly I felt calmer. Gabriella’s face moved into view. Her eyes were damp with tears. She cupped a free hand against my cheek. It felt soft. I wanted to be angry but it was getting harder to manage. Her voice was calm and soothing when she spoke.
“Alex, please believe me when I say I do care about you. Look, I can’t deny that I’m an Infiltrator or that my job was to become part of your life. But I’m not sorry, because it meant that I got to meet you and find out what a kind, caring person you are.” I stared, trying to work out if she was being genuine. Her face seemed to suggest so. “Really?” “Really.” “How can I believe you?” “Because you know I mean it,” she said staring into my eyes.
I felt something release in my chest. As if a valve had been opened and I could breathe again. She does care.
“And being a Chosen may seem like a curse sometimes,” she continued. “Trust me I know that better than anyone. But it’s also a privilege to be able to save those who can’t protect themselves.”
Her sincere words made me feel a bit guilty about my petulant outburst.
“How many others like me have you brought in?” I asked in an effort to change the subject.
“None. You were my first. I requested the assignment after the Coven made us aware you were out there. I don’t even know why.” Smiling she added, “given the way I handled it, I doubt Faru will ever let me do it again.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What did you do wrong?”
“You got away from us…from me. When we were returning you home after your Awakening. You were heavily sedated, but somehow, you managed to jump from the car and escaped. It took five hours before you turned up back home. I was frantic!”
I snapped to attention. “Wait, that’s the reason I woke up in the park! But how is that possible?”
“Your soul acting on autopilot I guess. Survival instinct. It must have felt we were a threat.”
I ran a hand along the nape of my neck. It felt sore — like the rest of my body. “I don’t understand. If the Awakening is such a big deal, why try and take me home, why not keep me here and explain, instead of being so secretive?” Gabriella drew her legs up onto the bed. “We wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. That’s why we took you the moment it started happening. It would have been impossible to keep you sedated the whole time. Then we would have two options; tell you everything, or keep you captive until we felt we could tell you. Both options were equally dangerous.” She leaned forward. “The time before and after an Awakening are critical. It’s your body’s adjustment period. Too much stress could have caused your soul to leave your body prematurely. Then you would be…lost. So I came up with a third option. Wipe your memory. Take you back home and keep you under constant protection — without your knowledge. Faru was against the idea at first, but I managed to convince him eventually.” She playfully slapped my leg. “That’s when you decided to perform your disappearing trick.”
I frowned. “How exactly did you wipe my memory?”
Gabriella looked slightly uncomfortable. “Neural manipulation or Charm as we call it is an ability some Chosen possess. I’m one of them.” “You mean mind control.” “Yes.” “Have you charmed me before?”
“Only that one time, I promise. Plus I couldn’t now even if I wanted to. Your Awakening is almost complete. I can’t manipulate another Chosen.” Once again her expression looked genuine. I nodded. At that moment, I caught the flowery scent of her hair. It stirred a memory. “You were there on the night of my Awakening.” “I was. How did you know?” I cleared my throat. “I erm, I recognise the way you smell…” Gabriella’s face broke into a half smile. “Interesting. Not in a bad sense I hope.” “No no…you smell…err good.” She laughed. “Well that’s a relief.”
Didn’t think that one through did you Alex? my internal voice chastised.
“So what was the cryptic phone call all about?” I said, in a desperate attempt to change the subject again.
“That was the second part of my idea. To drip feed you information until we you were ready for the truth. But after our conversation in the park, I wanted to do more than just that.”
“The car and clothes,” I said.
“Exactly. You get those sorts of perks once you join anyway, but I wanted to give them to you early so you could feel special. I convinced Faru it would be a benefit to your state of mind.”
Warmth bloomed in my stomach. She took risks to make me feel better. Nothing more was said for a moment. The mellow ticking of the clock filled the silence. “You have an interesting phone voice,” I said after a while. “Sorry?” “The voicemail you left me.”
Gabriella gave a chuckle. “Sadly I can’t take credit for that. Delagio, a teammate of mine did it. He loves that kind of thing. But I was there when the Skinshifter attacked you.”
I swallowed, once again reminded of the horrific creature with the evil red eyes that had hunted me down. “That thing in the woods? You saved me?”
Gabriella shifted her gaze from mine. “Yes. Plus several other times you didn’t know about. I always made sure you were safe Alex.” “Thank you.” I squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. “My pleasure.” I stared down at my hand, still clasped in hers. Without looking up I said, “I’m sorry…you know for snapping at you.”
Her smile brightened the dim room. “Don’t even mention it. What you’re going through is quite intense. I should know.” Gabriella released my hand. It sti
ll tingled from her touch.
“I have a gift for you,” she said. I pulled myself into a sitting position as she opened a drawer in the bedside table. She carefully removed a book and handed it to me. It looked old and worn and about the size of a pocket journal, but much thicker. The jacket was made from mottled brown leather. It reminded me a little of the books I’d seen in the underground waiting room. A worn string held the book closed. I pulled at it and was greeted with the aroma of old paper. The wafer thin pages fell open to show an artist sketch of a grim looking creature called a Redcap. Lots of notes had been handwritten underneath it.
“What is this?” I asked, flicking through.
“The HASEA Handbook. It contains all sorts of information about the Alliance and Pandemonians. It explains how to defend yourself against an attack, that kind of thing. Also what various creature’s strengths and weaknesses are. Basically everything you need to know to stay alive. All new Guardians get one.”
I turned the weighty book in my hands and ran my thumb over the bumpy leather.
“I’m surprised it’s handwritten. You’d think they would just mass print them or something,” I said.
“They do. This is my personal copy. It’s was handed down to me from another Chosen. It’s yours now. Think of it as an early Christmas present.” The warm feeling returned. “Are you sure?” The little half smile appeared again. “Of course. Just make sure you look after it. It’s…very dear to me.” “Thank you Gabriella, it’s great.”
I flicked through a few more pages, stopping to read a passage about how to defeat a Redcap with household items. Apparently lemon juice was like acid to these little Goblin things.
“Are you understanding it okay?” she asked.
“Yes. I mean it’s a bit weird and I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that these sorts of things exist, but I get what it’s saying.” “How good is your Italian by the way?” “Non parlo Italiano,” I replied with a grin. Gabriella tapped a finger on the tip of what I was reading. “Alex, this whole guide is written in Italian.” I stared at her. “What? No it isn’t. What are you going on about?” “Of course it is. I came from the Italian base, why would my guide be written in English?” “But that doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know any foreign languages!” “You do now. And just so you know, I’ve been speaking to you in French for the last few minutes.” My eyebrows met my hairline. “Ella, have you lost it? You’re speaking English! I can even hear your accent!”
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