House of Imperial

by Jaymin Eve

  “Where is my mom?” I asked, proud of how well I kept my cool. In my head I had already punched him in the throat six times. Twice in the balls.

  He chuckled. The piece of shit actually laughed. “She’s really enjoying her time with us, you know. I didn’t expect her to be so…” He tilted his head to the side like he was trying to find the right word. “Spirited. She’s quite spirited.”

  Rage filled me, but before I could reply, sirens filled the air, responding to the fire that was halfway to destroying one of the Quarter’s most famous landmarks. The smoke was thick and black, and I was just worrying about being trapped in here, when Daniel took off. I finally got to see his speed in action. Whoa. It was almost like he disappeared and reappeared in another spot. In the same instant. Superfast. I added that to the list.

  I watched, mouth hanging open as Daniel waved one hand across the six-foot flames and they instantly died off. He was back at my side in another moment, and the shock and awe on my face must have caught his attention. “House of Imperial specializes in fire. I can counter anything he throws at us.”

  The creep in question crossed his arms over his round chest. “That might be true, but don’t forget, you’ve been overlord for days, I was the ruler for a lot longer than that. I know the power better than you.”

  He strolled closer to me and I braced for a fight, dropping lower into a stance more suitable to strike and defend myself. Daniel repositioned himself, standing between me and the crazy pyro.

  They faced off at each other, Daniel definitely the more intimidating of the two. I liked his calmness the most; it gave me some confidence. Laous flicked his hand and an object flung free from the cuff of his jacket. A small stone, with a chain attached to one end. Like … a necklace.

  Laous whipped it out, keeping hold of the chain, while the stone slammed into Daniel’s shoulder, cutting through the shirt and embedding deep. Ignoring this, Daniel took a step closer to Laous, wearing a look of complete loathing. Flames spread up over Daniel’s arms, moving in increments across his body.

  “I have the power of the justices now,” he growled. “I will use them to end you. To end this before a war breaks out.”

  Laous shook his head. “You’re missing the bigger picture, Daniel. You always did. Just like your father.”

  The flames were almost to his chest now. He was literally turning into a human fireball. On the edge of the café, suited-up fireman spread out in all directions, and I was just about to mention something when Laous moved. He slammed a hand into the stone, pushing it all the way into Daniel’s shoulder.

  With a roar, the taller Daelighter dropped, his body shuddering like he was being struck by lightning, over and over. I just stared dumbfounded at Daniel, on his knees, with sparks of energy racing across his body. It even flickered through his eyes.

  “Run, Callie,” he grit out, trying to get to his feet, only to have the lightning power slam him down again.

  Before I could scream, or react, or run – because that sounded like a great idea – a fist slammed into the side of my head. I dropped to my knees, ears and head ringing, blood filling my mouth, while stars filled my eyes. This wasn’t the first punch I had copped, but considering I was still suffering from being knocked out earlier, I couldn’t handle another. Rolling to the side, I got out of strike range of his feet, using a nearby chair to pull myself up.

  Daniel was swearing and growling, and as I turned in his direction, I was astonished that he was up on one leg now, fighting whatever was holding him.

  “Miss, are you okay?” A fully suited-up fireman stepped into the building for the first time. Through his mask, I could see concern creasing his face, and as he glared at Laous, I guessed he’d seen the punch.

  I opened my mouth to warn him of the danger he didn’t realize he was in. I’m sure he thought he could take Laous on, and in any normal human circumstances he would have. But these weren’t normal circumstances.

  Before I got the words out, Laous launched an arc of fire our way, completely engulfing the firefighter. It took me a minute to realize I was screaming, and I wasn’t the only one. Other suited-up people rushed in to try and save their friend, and it was then that Laous launched into the second part of his plan. Something cold slammed into my cheek, so icy it numbed the spot immediately, while pain burst in my head, causing darkness. Wait, no, the darkness was because my eyes were closed. I couldn’t open them again, I literally had no energy in that moment.

  No. No, no, no. Shit, if I fell asleep now, it was all over. But what the hell could I do? Daniel was still being blasted with whatever weapon Laous had hit him with – though he was fighting it, he hadn’t won yet. And the last human who had tried to help was engulfed in flames.

  Concentrating as hard as I could on breathing and moving, I rolled. I’d mapped the layout of this building when I first walked in, so I knew where the exits were. Laous, who must have expected me to collapse immediately, reacted slowly. I heard the sound of chairs crashing as he tried to follow me. I stumbled to my feet, squinting as I deliberately knocked a table into him.

  I took off in a rapid, unsteady gait. One of my eyes had closed again; the other remained in a half squint. I was bumping into lots of tables and chairs, but as long as I got out of here and back to the mansion, I could get some help. Michaels was there; he could contact others.

  A hazy human came into view and I realized another brave firefighter had stepped up to assist me. I had the vague idea that if I managed to collapse against him, he would be safe from Laous’ flames, because the psycho needed me alive. Just as my arms went out, ready to dive, I was snatched up from behind. This time there was no fighting against the blow to my head. Darkness dragged me under and my scream was the last thing I heard.

  Blood woke me. Well, the taste of it. I choked and spluttered, trying to clear my mouth and throat. It felt as if there was a thick, bloody coating across my teeth and tongue. My head was screaming at me again. One day in the presence of these Daelighters and I’d been unconscious twice.

  Seriously, this had better be the last time or I was going to do something drastic. What that drastic thing was, I had no idea, but it would be huge.

  Focusing on useless threats was better than dealing with the thrum of fear coursing through me. I had no idea where I was; the room was dimly lit … some sort of fancy condo … nice wood floors, thick drapes, marble-topped furniture against a nearby wall.

  These Daelighters had way too much money to play with.

  Daniel. Worry for him was building within me, even though I was probably the one in the worst position. But I got the feeling that not much hurt Daniel, and whatever the stone was that Laous had hit him with, it did something unexpected. Laous might not be this overlord any longer, but he clearly had a range of techy little gadgets and inside knowledge on how to disable us. And a crap-ton of money. A scary combination.

  I struggled against my bindings – I was strapped to a chair. Every girl’s dream, right? There was no give at all in whatever was tying my hands behind me. I had never been great with being restrained, but I refused to let the panic take over. I needed to keep a level head until I got out of here.

  Continuing to struggle, I managed to wiggle my chair forward. It actually slid quite easily on the wood floor. Maybe I wouldn’t have to get my hands free to get out of here.

  Focusing on the door across the room, I started sliding forward. As I moved, I briefly contemplated calling out to see if my mom was here, but knowing I’d probably only alert the people I didn’t want to alert, I remained quiet.

  Halfway there, my head throbbed so badly that I had to stop for a moment. Breathing deeply through the pain, I gave myself only a few seconds before starting again, managing to find a good rhythm. Strangely enough, only one of my ankles was secured tightly to the chair leg; the other was quite loose, which meant I could use it for balance.

  My eyes adjusted to the darkness. There didn’t seem to be much in this room, which was working to
my advantage. As the door came into clear view, my heart rate jumped into a thrumming pace. I wasn’t exactly being quiet, scraping this chair across the floor, so the closer I got to the escape, the higher my chance of detection.

  What if Laous was right on the other side of this door? What did he plan to do with me? I’d obviously been tied up in here for a reason.

  There were just too many things I didn’t know about this world.

  That anger flared again. My parents should have prepared me better for this eventuality. Sure, my father had a somewhat decent excuse, being dead and all, but my mom had plenty of time to fill me in about the reality of being this stupid secret keeper, which I didn’t even get a choice about.

  The last few feet to the door took the longest. When I was only a few inches from the handle, I paused to decide how I was going to go about this. There was still no give at all in my hands despite my constant struggling, and one loose foot was not useful in opening a door. Tilting my head as low as I could, I tried to see more of the chair. Thick wood legs, carved and styled into roped elegance. Crap. It wasn’t a cheap wooden rickety number that I could easily smash. It was one of those fancy solid pieces that would still be around a hundred years from now – and I would probably still be tied to it, a skeleton, with both hands and one leg bound.

  A voice caught my attention, just a murmur really, and I leaned forward trying to hear what they were saying. At first the words were muffled, but then they started to yell and it got a lot clearer after that.

  “Imperial is my land!”

  That was definitely Laous. I’d recognize his slimy voice anywhere. The reply came from someone I didn’t know.

  “You will be taken by the council. They’re looking for you – everyone is looking for you.” The next words after that sounded like resistance, but I couldn’t be sure because Laous laughed, drowning it out.

  “I will have the starslight stone in my possession very soon,” he said. “Two of the four secret keepers are found. Using the blood from the Imperial girl will lead me to number three.”

  The Imperial girl. He had to be talking about me.

  Realizing I was wasting time – he was talking about using my blood afterall – I went back to my door dilemma. I stretched up as tall as I could in the chair, my hands and arms screaming as I strained them, and gained just enough height to use my chin and mouth to pull the lever down. As long as I didn’t think about how many hands had been on that handle, it would all be okay.

  The door clicked and I stilled. That sound had been deafening to my sensitive ears, but Laous and his companion continued talking, so I felt safe enough to hook my free foot into the gap and pull it back, shuffling my chair as I moved. Once the door was open, I realized that the voices had gone quiet. The sudden silence made me feel uneasy, but I really didn’t have much choice. If I stayed, I was dead.

  Shuffling forward again, I struggled to get over the edging between the bedroom and the hallway. That small piece of wood might have looked nice but it was freaking annoying when you were tied to a chair.

  Eventually I got over, and then once I was in the hallway I looked left and right, trying to decide which way would lead me to freedom. Or my mother. I really didn’t want to leave here without her, but I was outgunned, outmanned, out-aliened. I needed backup.

  Making a split-second decision, I moved in the direction with the most light. The hall was plain, nothing in it to indicate what I would find at the end. I was lucky this entire place had wood floors, so far anyway. The moment I ran into carpet, I would be in trouble.

  The light grew brighter and was almost painful after so much darkness. It wasn’t the light of the sun though, definitely artificial. My mind was solely focused on just making it through this hallway. No point in worrying about what would come next if I was discovered here by Laous. At least it did feel like my headache was subsiding, making it easier to focus.

  The hallway ended abruptly. I found myself in the sort of kitchen that chefs dream about. High ceilings, long stainless-steel benches, multiple gas stoves and ovens, huge overhanging racks filled with every pot and pan imaginable…

  I was no cook. I generally burned everything, myself included. My mom, on the other hand, could take three ingredients and turn it into something worthy of a restaurant. I guess everyone had to have some redeeming qualities. On one hand she treated me like the child of Satan, but on the other she could make a wicked omelet.

  I had to lift myself up again to scrape across the tiled floors in this room. Tiles turned out to be a real pain in the butt, each of the grout sections catching on the legs, and I almost tumbled over more than once. As I passed some drawers, I wondered if there were knives inside. I could see some high on the walls, but they were way out of reach.

  But these drawers…

  Just as I was figuring out a way to pull one open with my mouth, a chuckle rang out through the large room. It startled me so badly that I slammed my chin against the partially open drawer, cursing loudly. Laous was standing in the doorway, the one on the opposite side of the room to where I had entered, looking amused, those squinty eyes locked on me.

  “I wondered how long it would take you to try and escape. My companion thought I was crazy leaving you in there, but I’m constantly curious about human nature. Fascinates me the way you’ve … dragged yourselves up. Battling with each other. Living so primitively. But you definitely shine as a species when you’re backed into a corner.”

  Well, great, he was even crazier than I had originally thought. Disappointment welled so fast within me that it almost was a surprise. For one brief moment I had thought there was a chance I could escape, but Laous had been playing me the entire time.

  “What do you want from me?” I said slowly, emphasizing each word. “Surely you could have taken my blood while I was unconscious, so there must be something else you need?”

  He straightened, strolling closer, looking completely at ease. “Where is the fun in taking your blood while you are unconscious? Seems kind of rude.”

  Damn, I really hoped his sort of insanity wasn’t something you could catch, because it was spilling all over the room. He paused right before me.

  “Where is my mother?” I asked.

  His happy geniality disappeared in an instant, to be replaced by a dark, stormy expression. In that moment, he was terrifying. My breathing and heart rate both increased, my body reacting even though my brain was calm. Laous closed in on me, leaving only an inch between us. “I will be the one asking questions here, not you. Right now you’re alive because of me. Your life belongs to me.”

  Blah, blah. Heard the crazy dictator speech already. My mom was an expert at it, actually.

  “Where is my mom?” I repeated.

  He paused, staring at me, unblinking. “She’s … fine. Now that I have you, and your blood, I no longer need her to draw you out of hiding. So she’s free to go.”

  “Show me her,” I demanded. “If she’s free to go, let me say goodbye at least.”

  He did that same pausing thing again, only this time I caught a flicker of … worry in his eyes. The tight press of his lips gave me the same feeling. What was going on?

  “Where is she?” I would just keep asking until he answered. “And where am I?”

  “You’re in Overworld.”

  Those words were enough to almost stop my heart. The sharp pain in my chest started rising toward my throat as I tried to digest the information. “Overworld? We’re not on Earth?”

  He shook his head. “No, we’re in a small section of Imperial which is not controlled by the overlord.” He chuckled, and just like that his stormy expression was gone again. “I was smart enough to secure more than one location, knowing that eventually the time would come for Daniel to take his rightful place.”

  He raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Daniel was always meant to be overlord, did you know that? He has the true range of power at his disposal. But I needed the position for a short time. I needed to be
able to vote for the overlord children to go to Earth.”

  That must have been what they were talking about with him finding the first secret keeper. Laous had a very long-term plan in place, which meant he probably had a plan B and C ready should anything derail this one.

  “What did you do to Daniel?” I asked, hit with a mental image of how he’d been knocked down. An intense sort of worry bloomed inside of me and I was surprised by the strength of it. I had no idea why Daniel affected me so strongly. He’d done something no one else ever had. He’d gotten under my skin.

  “I temporarily disconnected him from the network.” Laous sounded very proud of himself.

  He wasn’t going to get a look of awe from me though. I was mostly just confused.

  “Here in Overworld, we have a living network,” he said. “Like your internet, but it’s natural, running through our land. Connecting us all. Giving us gifts. Powering the people. It’s this network I plan to control when I find the starslight stone Earth currently possesses. Once I have the stone, I will control everything.”

  He’d used that stone on the chain to interrupt this “network” temporarily. What else could he do with it? And if that small sliver was starslight, I was afraid to imagine the power he’d have with a large stone.

  Laous took a step closer to me. I’d been so busy watching his expression that I missed the blade in his hand. He rested it against my throat, and there was nothing I could do to resist. My hands were still secured behind my back.

  “Playtime with the grubbers is over,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed your fear and false bravado, but now I need to find the third secret keeper.”

  I knew what that meant. I tried to jerk back and twist in my chair. My entire body lifted as my chair went up onto two legs, before crashing back down again. That random movement startled Laous and the blade bit into my skin. Before I could do or say anything, he shrugged, and with a flick of his wrist sliced right across my throat.