by Nicki Ruth
“Don’t worry Cadeonidas, once my business on this planet is completed, we’ll be on our way. Though you did considerable damage to my ship, I’m already working on the repairs,” Paxor said as he busied himself at a table of vials and tools. The room seemed to be some sort of laboratory. It reeked of misery.
Cade, now back in his naked, human form, struggled upright. His body was still numb. “Release the young, and I will go with you without any trouble.”
Paxor smirked as he came to a stop in front of the cell. “You’re not in a position to bargain, Cadeonidas. You’ll watch when I make them cry as I wrench their divine souls from their little bodies for my breakfast. Don’t think you won’t be punished for maiming me. I’ve not forgotten, my beauty.” The mage smiled, even teeth gleaming in the light against his greying skin, scarred by years of dark practice.
“I’ve spent years recovering from your flames. But with the help of some young souls, I was able to repair myself. It's always a good idea to keep young divinity on hand.” Paxor narrowed his eyes as his thin lips stretched across his face. “I should thank you for the treasure trove I collected today, but—”
“Sir, enemy combatants on the ship,” a uniformed man ran into the room to report. “Several taken down at once. I cannot get in touch with our captain, sir.”
“Linus.” Paxor gave him an irritated look. “Get rid of them! How hard can that be? There are no more than twenty or so people on this planet.”
“But, sir—”
“Now!” Paxor roared, darkness unfurling across the room as its walls shook.
Cade’s scales rippled across his body, unsettled by the outburst of dark energy.
The soldier, Linus, nodded hesitantly and hurried away.
“Having a bit of trouble, mage?” Cade asked sneered. “Ship is damaged, men are down. Are you sure you don’t want to bargain?”
“That’s enough from you!” Paxor lashed out and struck Cade with a blast of light that knocked him backwards.
Cade struggled to get back up, but blackness snatched consciousness from him.
Chapter 22
The guards tried to dash out of the way after they realized Davina’s power. Having dominion over blood, she held several men frozen in place as she controlled their bodies, while Jason slashed his claws against their throats. Their gurgled screams did not slow him down. He watched in satisfaction when blood spurted against the walls as another fell to his sharp claws. They had come to steal lives, but he’d take theirs instead.
He glanced back at Davina and saw a shadow creeping up behind her.
“Davina!” he yelled in panic as the man aimed his gun.
But the man’s head went flying from his shoulders, past Davina who whirled around in time to see Alexios sinking his fangs into spouting veins, drinking deeply from the headless body.
“Father. Thank gods!” Jason breathed a sigh of relief.
Licking his lips, Alexios dropped the body to the floor and stepped over it. “Are you all right?” he asked, looking at Davina but sparing a glance for Jason.
“We’re fine. And, just so you know, I had everything under control. I knew there was one behind me,” Davina said with a raised brow.
Alexios grinned and winked. “I was thirsty.”
While Alexios and Davina conversed, Jason surveyed the room they were in, sensing the hidden presence of others. There were large cabinets along the floor that were locked but not magically enchanted. Jason bent down and began to pry the doors open.
The doors finally gave way revealing a hunched over, shivering young girl. She clutched a small doll close to her face, one of her small antlers broken and chipped. Before Jason could react, she launched herself into his arms, sobbing silently into his neck.
“It's okay. You’re safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you,” he said. “I promise.”
He stood, cradling and bouncing her in his arms, whispering reassurances into her ear while Davina and Alexios searched the room. They found two other children stuffed inside cabinets, almost like no care was given to where they stashed the stolen.
“Where are the others? There were more children. Oh gods. Where’s Tyrus?” Davina asked with clenched fists.
“They’re on the ship. We just need to find them,” Alexios responded. “I’ve left Brandr outside to ensure no one escapes.”
Jason nodded and turned his attention back to the girl in his arms. He wiped the tears from her face when she finally raised her eyes to meet his.
“You’re safe now. But I need to go find Cade and the others. Would you stay with Davina until I come back?”
She clutched him tighter and shook her head vigorously in response. “Stay with you.” The whisper escaped her lips.
Jason smiled, surprised to hear her speak, much less want to remain in his presence when she’d avoided him at all costs before. He stifled a grimace at just how terrified she must have been, now that she had something other than him to fear.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back. I promise.”
Davina approached and smiled at the girl. “Deepa, isn’t it?”
The girl nodded.
“This will all be over soon. Come, Jason will find your friends, then we’ll all go home.”
With one last look at Jason, Deepa unwrapped her arms from around his neck and slid into Davina’s arms, little fingers clutching her ever so tightly.
“Jason, Davina told me about Cade. Why don’t you go find him, and we’ll find the other children? We’ll still need to disable the animating magic,” Alexios said, placing his hand on Jason’s shoulders.
Jason nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on locating Cade. He sensed—no, felt—a cool numbness that made him shudder.
This was wrong.
Cade was a creature of heat and fire, his aura one that smoldered like a sleepy wildfire. Not this dull, creeping coldness. Jason’s pulse began to race.
Something was very wrong.
∞∞∞
Jason walked into a brightly lit room cluttered with metal tables, tools for administering pain, and hanging chains. It smelled of death. Many had suffered and died in this room; their lingering pain and fear haunted his awakened senses. He sensed Cade and another who felt as hollow as a dark void.
Cade slumped against a wall, unconscious but alive. He was imprisoned behind rows of glowing white light that, on closer inspection, were rows of symbols spelled together. They were probably invisible to Cade.
A shimmering, vapor-like halo surrounded Cade’s human form as the vapor dissipated out of his body. Was this the reason Cade’s aura felt cold and fading?
Jason remained still, observing the robed mage facing away from him who hadn’t yet noticed his presence. The mage’s aura could only be described as one of malignant decay; the foul smell seeped from under the blue robes that shrouded the evil rot.
“Release him.”
The mage whirled around. He clutched a golden necklace with a large yellow diamond centered in an intricately designed pendant in his tight fist.
“Who are you?” The mage recovered from his surprise and narrowed his eyes.
“I’m here for him,” Jason replied, pointing to the cell that confined Cade.
The mage, whose face was a grey pallor spotted with dark pockmarks and circles under dull, paling eyes, was calm but silent, assessing his visitor. But Jason heard words being quietly spelled and saw him weaving a rolling mass of energy around his fingers. Jason remained on guard, ready to call on his shield and hoping he could harness its protection again.
“I’ve a score to settle with the man you’ve captured. Release him to me, and I’ll leave your ship without further incident.” Jason flashed his fangs, anxious to rip into the man before him.
“So, you’re the one taking out my men,” he stated more than asked. The mage chuckled. “I don’t know who you are, vampire,” he said as he raised his hand with a now sizeable ball of crackling energy aimed at Jason, “but all you’ll be leaving
with is a hole in your chest.”
Faster than Jason anticipated, the mage launched the energy ball at him. They both watched in silence as the ball disintegrated before Jason, fizzling and sputtering out like a spent turbine against his shield.
Jason smirked at the shocked expression on the mage’s face, whose mouth hung open for a moment before his thin lips pulled into a grim line.
“I won’t ask again. Release him.”
“Who are you?” the mage asked with a slight frown, slowly making his way around what looked like an operating table.
Jason took a step forward, trailing after the mage. He secretly hoped the man would reach for a weapon so he’d have an excuse to quickly dispatch the man by tearing his head from his near-emaciated body.
“I see the intent to kill in your eyes, vampire. But you won’t be able to undo the damage to his spirit if you kill me. You see, Cadeonidas is slowly losing his vahanan essence. Only I can stop it,” he declared, caressing the golden pendant in his hand.
Jason paused, cocking his head to the side. Was the foul man bluffing? He did feel a coldness creeping over him any time he reached out his senses for Cade. Did this mean the mage spoke the truth? Cade was dying?
“How would you stop it?” Jason asked, his confidence waning for a moment. He wasn’t about to let Cade die.
The mage intended to put Cade into the pendant. Would Cade’s deterioration be halted once he was in there?
It was the only explanation for the mage’s actions. Debilitate Cade and keep him weakened and trapped in the pendant, unable to escape as he did before. And with Cade’s current state maybe the one option to save his life was the most unspeakable.
The mage’s eyes flared, confident he’d gained the upper hand at seeing Jason’s hesitance. “Why didn’t my magic work on you?” he asked, abruptly changing the topic.
Jason knew this was to keep him off guard.
“That pulse should’ve broken your body to bits.”
Jason was quiet, assessing his next move and the words he needed to say. The mage was cunning, like most practitioners were—Cade had warned him of their lies and entrapments.
They could easily spell the unsuspecting, working their magic through words disguised with hidden meaning. They spun their spells into questions and riddles, turning them into magical holds or trances that were sometimes difficult to break.
Mages yearned for power, and were ceaseless in their efforts to attain new sources of magic. Their obsession corrupted them and many resorted to loathsome, dark means to fulfill their desires.
But if what he said about Cade was true, Jason would need to negotiate with the vile man.
“You asked who I was. Would you like me to show you? And show you why your magic will not work on me?” Jason countered.
He unfurled his wings from his back, calling on all his gryphinx essence. Power filled the room, rattling the thin instruments on the walls. The mage took a step back, eyes bulging greedily at the sight of the black, velvety feathers spread before him.
His hands shook as he tried to touch Jason’s wings, which spread across most of the room, their stark, white tips drawing attention to their midnight blackness.
Jason teasingly fluttered them, knocking books and vials off their perches. He was counting on the man’s greed.
“Im . . . impossible. You can’t be a vampire and a—” he swallowed audibly, unable to complete his sentence.
Jason shrugged. The mystery still perplexed him as well.
Jason was about to respond when a red flash at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He froze, a sense of dread crashing over him like an angry tsunami. It was the red of a ruby pendant.
The one Marius wore. The one he never removed from around his neck, it being a gift from their father. Questions raced through Jason’s mind. What was this doing here? What had become of his bloodbrother?
The mage took the opportunity to unleash a blast that hurled Jason backward. A thin, rope-like binding tightened across his wrist. Jason cursed his carelessness and glared at the mage, who smiled in sly triumph.
“You’re spectacular. An eaglryx? Or maybe a falcon of Horus? It doesn’t matter. You’re mine now,” he remarked with glee, his disfigured face contorting into what could be called a grin.
He tugged at the dark, pulsing chain hooked around Jason’s wrist. But his excitement faded as Jason regarded the thin line of casted symbols encircling his wrist. With his other hand, he broke the spell with a roll of current he willed from within his body, its white light flashing for the briefest of moments.
Now disarmed, the dark symbols faded rhythmically toward the mage who gaped at his failed handiwork.
Ignoring the mage, Jason moved toward the ruby pendant and removed it gingerly from the box it lay within.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, his tone betraying his simmering desire for violence.
The mage remained silent, his eyes darting about under a frown that told of his inner bewilderment.
“Answer me!” Jason snapped.
“The ruby? I traded it off a vampire who . . .” The mage paused, eyebrows rising with renewed enlightenment. “Does it mean something to you?” he asked with devious glint in his pale eyes.
Jason released a breath to hide the tremor that shook his hand as he fisted the necklace. His thoughts spun.
Marius. Cade. What was he to do?
“Mage, I’m one of the rarest creatures in existence. A gryphinx. Immune to your spells and magic. I’m also vampire, blessed with a natural, immortal life. Think of all you could have with me at your side. I’m worth more than those children you stole and even the man you’ve taken. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The man before him almost panted with his blatant covetousness. He licked his lips noisily and nodded eagerly at Jason, eyebrows practically merging with his sparse hairline.
“These are my terms. You release the man and the children. You’ll also tell me when and where you obtained this ruby necklace. You seek powers? I’ll give you mine.”
∞∞∞
Voices broke through Cade’s groggy confusion. His body wouldn’t respond to his demands. His legs were losing sensation, and his flames sputtered within him. He felt weak and tired but wasn’t in physical pain. This concerned him. He could see nothing on his body, no wounds or markings that would present evidence of his dire condition.
He tried to stand and was shakily able to do so only when he braced himself along the one wall that was not magically cast. He tried to focus his hearing on the conversation in the room.
“You’ll lend me your vahanan powers? Work for me?”
“Yes. That’s the deal.”
Jason’s voice.
“You must think me a fool if you think I would accept such a bargain. Cadeonidas is mine. But as a show of good faith, I’ll tell you all you want to know about the vampire who owned this ruby necklace, once you place Cadeonidas’ soul into this pendant. You see, I can tell you care for the drogulis, but would you trade him for the information you seem to desperately want? Hmm? The vampire of the ruby necklace or the fire-breather. Your choice. Then you’ll convince me of the sincerity of your bargain, and I’ll release the children.”
Cade let out a strangled cry, gaining the attention of both men in the room.
“No, Jason. Don’t. He lies. He won’t release anyone. He means to trick you!”
Jason’s eyes bored into his, but he averted his gaze and bit his lip.
No. No. Cade felt his heart lurch in his chest. The flames within him flared to life for the briefest moments, sensing a new danger. Jason wouldn’t betray him. Wouldn’t trap him to confinement.
“Jason,” Cade croaked. “Don’t.”
Jason held his hand out to the mage, who grinned wickedly before setting the golden necklace into Jason’s hand. “You’ll have to teach me the incantation,” he said flatly.
“Of course.” The mage smirked at Cade.
“You’d b
etray me . . . ?” Cade choked. “Was it all a lie then?” Cade felt the pinpricks of tears in his eyes, the weight of this betrayal shattering his soul—soon to be forfeit, forever. He slumped to the ground no longer able to stand, unable to breathe, thankful for the numbness of his body preventing him from lashing out.
“Cade, I’m doing this for those I love and care about. Remember that.”
Cade stared at the ground in disbelief, anger sprouting. Jason was the liar, the most vicious fiend he’d ever met. The time they spent together had meant nothing—all lies!
“Look at me, Cade.” An urgent plea sounded in Jason voice as he drew closer to the cell.
Cade refused to meet Jason’s gaze. Couldn’t bear to look at him, the one he’d come to care for, to love. The one who would be the reason for his death, for as he bent over in strained anguish on the floor, he’d lost his will to survive.
Jason, who basked in his flames, whose smile shone so brightly to him, had extinguished his once everlasting fire.
“That’s enough. Time for him to return to his forever home,” Cade heard the mage demand. “It’s been years in the making.”
He closed his eyes and roared as he heard the words being spoken, magical forces grabbing at his body, tearing at his soul as he was pulled into the pendant.
Chapter 23
Jason was thrown backward as an angry tower of flame flared upward in a whoosh.
At Cade’s agonized cry, he knew he’d made a terrible mistake. What had he done? Cade would rather die than be imprisoned. But he couldn't let Cade die. This was the only way to slow the steady deterioration of Cade’s soul that he’d felt every moment he stood in this room. This would buy him time to figure out how to save him. Wouldn’t it?
Cade himself had said vahanan lives were prolonged when enchanted. As Cade’s cry quieted, Jason gasped at the lashing pain across his chest and sank to his knees; its heaviness made it hard for him to breathe, the uncertainty of his quick decision rocking against him like a shipwreck on stormy seas.
