Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  “Whoa, what’s gotten into you?”

  Rai settled back on my chest and let out an angry, high-pitched caw.

  I sighed. “I’m not going to stop fighting, Rai. Ever. I can promise you that much.”

  She settled herself and her feathers lay back down in their smooth white and gold coat. She chirped happily and pushed herself against me. Apparently I was the only one here who was losing faith.

  ******

  Marcus, Grams, Chief, and Jax were in the makeshift kitchen. I could hear them talking, but as I entered the room, they all went silent.

  A fridge sat against the concrete wall and there was a basin sink beside it, but there weren’t any countertops. Small white cabinets had been set up to store food, and a deep freezer sat in a corner storing a small supply of meat and bread for us and the blood for Vincent.

  I filled up a cup with the less than appealing water from the tap and took a long drink. My throat was scratchy and my tongue felt rough and swollen like I’d eaten something hot too fast.

  “You finally dragged your ass out of bed I see,” Grams said, coughing briefly. “Good, sit down.”

  “What’s happened now?”

  Chief looked up from the table and smiled his warm, welcoming smile. His black hair was tied back in a long braid, and his tanned skin looked dirty like he’d just been walking through the forest. “We have some breakthroughs in your…situation.”

  “That’s fantastic, what do we know?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough,” Grams said, “but it’s something. Tell him, Lillian.” Grams turned to a small, quiet woman beside her.

  I hadn’t even noticed the woman when I’d walked in the room. She had long, frayed brown hair and a thick pair of black-rimmed glasses. She stared at the scarred surface of the table, her hands clasped in her lap. She looked out of place among the commanding presence of the others.

  “Me?” she said in a soft, unsure voice.

  “Do you see any other Lillians around here?”

  Lillian shifted in her seat and fidgeted with her fingers. “I suppose not.”

  “Then get on with it.”

  Lillian nodded and covered her mouth with small hands as she cleared her throat. Her voice was high and almost squeaky. “Well, I was looking through some of our volumes, and was finding very little reference to your Markings. When Grams told us we would have to hide the 11th Dimension, a much sought after volume for any seasoned witch, I was sad to have to part with it.” Lillian took a sip of the steaming tea in front of her and looked up at me. “Before we put the spell on the book, I took the liberty of skimming over some pages. There is a large blank section in the middle of the book. There are no words, or anything of the sort, but just before that, there is mention of the Protector.”

  I focused on Lillian. She spoke softly, and I sat in the only vacant chair beside her so that I didn’t miss a word. “And?”

  “As it turns out, there is more to the Protector than meets the eye. You have one of your elements, possibly two, because you are a hunter. The rest are a part of the Mark. I know you can expect to become physically stronger and faster than you are now, and there could be a number of other abilities that develop.”

  “It didn’t manage to say what those abilities were, did it?” I asked.

  Lillian took another sip of her tea and shrugged. “I can’t be certain. I could only find a few short passages, and my translation was weak, at best. I believe part of what the Mark does is enhance all of a person’s existing abilities, but after that, your guess is as good as mine.”

  I nodded, and things started clicking into place. That’s why Vincent wanted it in the first place, and that’s why he was so angry the power was gone. He thought it would make him stronger, and he could finally be rid of the black cloud of shame that had hung over him for centuries. He’d wanted the power to fight back.

  “Was there anything else?” Marcus asked.

  “There is reference to the merging of gods like what we were told Serephina spoke of to Chase, but not much else. The book briefly mentions the fallen gods that once existed before a merge, but there are little to no details about it.”

  “Well, this is a start,” I said. “Anything about the Dark Brothers or Ithreal?”

  “There was one passage about Ithreal’s sons being abominations, but nothing more. It appears they were not supposed to exist, and the other gods would not allow them a ruling throne. They were forced to live among the dimensions as simple demons.”

  “Well, at least we know why his power is evolving so fast,” Jax said. “The question is how do we stop it? The Protector is essentially a weapon, the last line of defense against Ithreal. The gods wouldn’t have created that unless the chosen one could contain the power, right?”

  Everyone nodded but nobody had the answer. It was one of the many questions we were seeking.

  “I think if we’re going after these soul pieces, we need everyone on board,” Chief said. “Each time Chase uses his powers, he gets weaker and it breaks him down a little more. If this keeps up, there’s not going to be anything left of him to fight. He can’t do this without help.”

  “For now I think abstinence is the best action,” Marcus said. “You need to keep everything inside as best you can.”

  “Believe me, I’ve been trying. It’s like something inside me has a mind of its own, and whatever it is, it responds to my occasionally extreme emotions and Rayna’s summoning magic.”

  “Occasionally?” Grams snorted.

  Marcus didn’t add to Grams’s disbelief. He wrapped one of his hands around the other and fixed his brown gaze on me. “Rayna shouldn’t have to do any more summoning anytime soon. Grams and the Triquertas have hidden the book, and the guardian has blessed the soul piece. As far as we know, that’s hidden from the Brothers.”

  I nodded. “So what’s next?”

  “Chief, Jax, and I have spoken, and we think it’s best to split into two groups.”

  “Why? If we all go to Vortan together, we’ll stand a much better chance.”

  Jax nodded. “But then we’re putting all our eggs in one basket. That’s a bad strategy for any battle. We know what two worlds we need to go to, so if we send one group after each soul piece, we increase our odds of getting at least one of them. All that matters in the end is that we destroy one, right? It doesn’t matter which one that is.”

  “That’s true, but the group that goes without me is wandering blind.”

  “Right now, you’re a wild card, Chase,” Jax said. “Your elements aren’t fully in your control, and using them only hurts you. Even with you, we may be wandering blind. We have no guarantee the goddess will speak to you.”

  Chief nodded. “We’re going to have to hope the gods will guide everyone, just as they once guided you. After all, we’re all fighting to keep their dimensions safe, right?”

  “I get what you’re saying, but these worlds are all different. I’m the Protector, and although we don’t know what that means exactly, we have to have faith the gods wouldn’t steer us wrong. I think we should all go together. I don’t know what we’ll find in these other worlds, and our strength is in numbers. You said so yourself.”

  “The plan has been made, Chase.” Jax stood from his chair and locked his arms behind his back. “I respect you as a fellow fighter, but there’s a lot of experience at this table and I think it’s best to go with the majority on this. And the majority agrees we split up. Right, Marcus?”

  Marcus hesitated a moment and I raised both eyebrows. “Marcus?” I asked.

  “If this is our last hope, we can’t pin it all on one soul piece, Chase. What if it’s already gone? We need to have a secondary plan, and I think this is the best way to move forward.”

  “I respect all of your experience here, but we’ll be facing demons stronger than any of you have ever seen. When it comes to the Underworlds, I have the most experience with these creatures, and I’m telling you, splitting up is a bad ide
a.”

  Everybody stared at me, but nobody spoke. Even Grams sat quietly, watching me from across the table.

  “So that’s it then. I’m in the minority so I don’t have any choice but to agree.”

  “Nobody is trying to discredit you,” Chief said. “But in order to succeed, we need to trust each other’s instincts. All of our intuitions say we should split up.”

  I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. “I guess it is what it is then,” I said. “Who is going where?”

  Jax nodded. “Marcus, Rayna, Tiki, Vincent, some of his people, and Grayson will be going with you to Vortan. Kate if she’s feeling strong enough, Chief, his pride, Willy, the rest of the Shadowpack, and I will lead our people through Proto. Some of the Triquerta will open a portal there and help us return home when we are done. Everyone else will stay behind and keep watch over this place.”

  “Forget it. Willy comes with me.”

  Jax’s expression didn’t change, but he shook his head. “He’s a part of my pack—“

  “And he’s a part of my family and that trumps your pack. You made the decision to split up without me, and now I’m making one without you. Willy comes with me.”

  Jax’s gaze narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, but Chief stood up and agreed. “I think that’s more than a fine agreement.”

  I stared at Jax, who didn’t look happy. The muscles in his jaw flexed and he nodded. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Good. Since you guys have made the rest of the decisions without me, I assume you have it all figured out then.”

  Chief sighed. “It’s not that we did not want to include you in the decision making, Chase. But we thought it was time you took a break from all this. You’re not alone and you needed a chance to recuperate.”

  “I appreciate that, but I wish you would’ve kept me in the loop. It’s not that I don’t think you guys are capable, but think splitting up is a bad idea.”

  Chief grabbed both my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “You must have faith.”

  Faith I had. I had faith when we got to Vortan that Elyas would be there. I had faith in Serephina—that she would in some way aid us in our journey. I had faith that together we could end this, but splitting up didn’t feel right. I knew they could handle themselves, but if Riley showed up, they would need me.

  “At this point, I think we all need a little faith,” Marcus said. “We’ll be leaving in a few days. Everyone needs some time to rest and prepare, and I want to make a final attempt at reaching Eric.”

  Everyone rose from their chairs and started to leave the room. I stood quietly, trying to think of another way to change their minds, but I was coming up empty.

  On his way out, Marcus stopped and put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve done all this, Chase. You’ve brought together groups that would otherwise still be at war. We’re about to end all this. Do not dwell on the approach; be proud of what is to come.”

  “If you say so,” I said.

  Marcus pursed his lips and nodded, patting me on the shoulder. “Try and get some more rest. We’ll need you at full strength.”

  Marcus left, and the room lapsed into silence.

  “If it is any consolation…” Lillian spoke, but stopped as I jumped away from the table. I hadn’t realized she was still here. She looked up at me with an awkward smile, the thick lenses on her glasses magnifying her eyes. “I agree with you, but my opinion doesn’t matter. I’m just the bookworm.”

  “Just the bookworm? You’re the first person to offer me any insight into anything about the Protector. Thank you.”

  Lillian pushed her glasses up on her nose and offered another awkward smile. “You are welcome. Good luck stopping all this.”

  “At this point, I wish luck was all I needed.”

  Chapter 33

  The grime-covered plastic of the industrial shower was cold, but I needed to clean myself up. I shivered as I dried myself off, desperately wanting to call the flame that flickered inside me, but I knew that wasn’t an option.

  Someone banged on the door and I shook my head. The ever-elusive moment of peace was shattered once again.

  “Just a minute.”

  “Chase!” Grayson shouted from the other side. He’d stayed hidden in a private room since he’d arrived. Hearing his voice made me realize it had to be urgent.

  I tied the towel around my waist and pulled open the door. “What is it?”

  Grayson’s left eye was black and swollen shut, and Willy stood behind him, his face a battered mess.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “It’s Ti—Tiki…” Willy said. His words were even more slurred by his swollen lips. “Arian has him.”

  “You must go save him!” Grayson shouted.

  “Just wait,” I said, and Grayson instantly quieted. “Tell me what happened, Willy” I said, walking down the hall towards the room I’d claimed as my own.

  “He cau—caught us when we were leaving the club. I didn’t even have time to shift. He was too strong and we couldn’t get away. He told me to bring you a message to meet him, and if you refuse, he’ll kill Tiki.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s always something, isn’t it?”

  Willy didn’t respond; he just looked up at me with panicked, innocent eyes.

  “Grayson, where’s Marcus?”

  “Rayna said he’s with Chief and Jax. They’re gathering supplies and weapons, and trying to find someone named Eric.”

  “I’m going to get dressed. You try to get a hold of Marcus or any of them directly. We can’t afford to get sidetracked anymore. This ends now.”

  ******

  Rayna shifted the Jeep into park and we idled at the side of the road. Marcus, Jax, and Chief were unreachable. Either they weren’t getting service, or their phones were off. Whichever it was, voicemail wasn’t helping us at the moment.

  The park was dark and full of massive trees with unadorned branches. All their leaves had fallen and decorated the ground, but the colors went unappreciated in the cloudy night.

  “Anyone have any last minute ideas?” I asked. Rayna and Willy both remained silent. “Great.”

  Since Grayson wasn’t going to be useful in a fight, he had stayed home to continue trying to get a hold of the others. The last thing I needed was to bring cannon fodder to the battle ground.

  Arian didn’t need supernatural hearing to know we were coming. The leaves crunched beneath my feet and the park was wide open, leaving little to no chance of throwing any sort of surprise attack. Arian picked this location for exactly that reason.

  A playground sat in the middle and a merry-go-round was turning on its own. The wind blew gusts of leaves into the air and it carried a sharp chill—winter wasn’t far off.

  Plastic tubes linked one platform to the other and the slides sat vacant; all the children had gone to bed hours ago. The swings clanked and rattled as the wind shook their chains, and on the edge of the swing set was Tiki.

  His tanned skin looked dark in the lightless sky, and shadows caressed his body. His arms were bound behind his back and a gag covered his mouth. His body was pinned against the steel pole of the swing set, but his orange eyes were calm.

  Willy ran forward and removed the gag from his mouth. “Are yo—yo—you okay?” he asked, fumbling with the ropes.

  “I am fine. You should not have come, Chase Williams. We can waste no more time.”

  “First, we can’t exactly go anywhere without you. Second, I’m not leaving you or anyone else behind. Especially not with this psycho.”

  Arian’s laughter carried on the wind. “Psycho…I like that.” He chuckled again. “Welcome, Chase and friends.”

  I ripped a dagger from its sheath and faced him. Rayna, Willy, and Tiki all stepped up beside me. Tiki rubbed his wrists where the ropes had left their mark, and Willy handed him a blade.

  “This ends, Arian. Right now.”

  “Oh, this is far from the end, Chase. Th
is is but the beginning of an incredible journey together. With you under my command, Riley will have no choice but to bow to me.”

  “Riley knows exactly what you’re up to. You aren’t going to surprise him. Riley won’t bow to you, or anyone else for that matter.”

  Arian shook his head. “I do not fear your father, Chase, and neither should you. The ability to change into any creature I wish was gifted to me by your father and the Brothers. Let me share it with you and together we will defeat him.”

  “Kidnapping my friends, idle threats, and false promises aren’t going to sway me.”

  “False promises? Perhaps if I give you a taste of the knowledge you crave, you’ll be more inclined?” Arian crept to the side, crushing the grass beneath his bare feet. “You, my boy, are essential to all this.”

  “I’m feeling more enlightened by the second.”

  “Spare me your sarcasm. I may not know all the factors involved, but I know something you do not. I know why you are essential. I know what your role in all this is. I know this, and even still, your father does not. ”

  “You know something about Riley’s grand plans that he doesn’t? That sounds convincing.”

  Arian shook his head. “I know because the Brothers know. It is their power that helped Riley give me this gift. And with that gift came a detail they have yet to share with Riley. They’re keeping it close to their chest for…shall we say…insurance? That knowledge can be yours. I will hand it to you myself with a single bite. All you have to do is make this easy.”

  “You’re a pawn, Arian. Anything you think you know, Riley and the Brothers have given to you. Riley wants you to think you have the upper hand, but in the end, you’re just a distraction.”

  “Why must you make everything a challenge?” Arian growled. “It does not need to be this way.”

  “And it won’t be for much longer.” I stepped forward, drawing the second dagger from its sheath.

  “You wish to do this, truly? I can give you everything you want, Chase. All you have to do is cooperate.”