Alex took his place next to me. He squeezed my hand under the table, and I smiled at him, relishing the fact that despite everything he could still make my heart skip a beat. The doors near the back of the hall opened and Sage Etorre stepped through.
Still no Sage Faru.
The Sage stood behind the chair at the head of the nearest table and gestured towards the ornate doors at the far end. “Please bring them in.”
Agent Noble and Green paced over to the doors and swung them open. As soon as the recruits walked in, we all stood up and clapped. There were red faces and awkward smiles. They stood in a row, in the order they had finished the Trials. They waited whilst the clapping died down and the support staff slipped out behind them. The agents closed the doors with a dull thud that echoed around the vast room.
Sage Etorre lifted both hands. “Benvenuti amici. You are all most welcome in this, the hallowed hall of our forbearers.” He moved between the tables with his hands folded behind his back. His ceremonial cape of red and gold swept along the floor as he moved. “Each one of you has proved your worthiness to become a Guardian of the HASEA. We are entering into a new Golden Era for the Alliance, and you are all among the first in the next wave of Chosen, who will allow us to continue our mission to keep Earth safe from harm.”
Two of the agents moved behind the Sage. One carried the ceremonial dagger on its cushion, the other held a tray of seven emblems and the bowl of Dragon’s blood.
“It would normally be your own leader, Sage Faru, bestowing the honour of the title of Guardian on each of you. I only hope that I am not too an unworthy a substitute.” There was a light patter of laughter at his joke.
The Sage reached Hollie. “You proved yourself the victor in the Prolesium and thus the honour of first initiation belongs to you.” I saw Larik’s face break into a proud smile. Hollie was one of his recruits.
“Hollie White, I ask you now if you will pledge allegiance to the Alliance.”
She nodded, sending strands of her hair falling across her face. “I will.”
Sage Etorre smiled. “Then please kneel.”
Hollie lowered herself onto one knee. Her cheeks were ruddy with nerves as Sage Etorre retrieved the blade and dipped it into the Dragon’s blood. “Please extend your left wrist.”
Hollie held out her trembling arm. Sage Etorre drew back the sleeve of her jacket and spoke the ancient words of Alliance initiation. “I mark you now with the fortified blood of Leviathan, the last Dragon to walk the Earth and slain by Saint George. Whilst you wear this, no matter where you are in the world, you always walk with the full support of the HASEA.” He marked the symbol on her wrist. Hollie grimaced as black steam curled up from the wound. Sage Etorre continued speaking the words from the ritual as he sealed the emblem into its space on her uniform. We all saluted her and spoke the words of our motto, which she spoke back timidly.
“Rise, Guardian of the Alliance.”
Hollie stood up.
“As Prolesium champion, you now have the choice of which group of Guardians you wish to join. Please speak it now.”
Larik straightened up in his chair, preparing to stand.
“Orion.”
What?
There was a burst of murmurs from the tables. Larik’s smile had broken into an expression of dismayed confusion. I turned to Alex, who looked just as dumfounded as I felt. This was the first time I had experienced a recruit selecting a squad that wasn’t one of the ones that had bought them in.
“I choose Orion,” Hollie repeated.
Sage Etorre raised a hand and the murmuring ceased. “Will the Huntmaster of Orion please stand.” I pushed my chair back and rose to my feet.
“You have the right to refuse Hollie’s admission into your group. Do you refuse?”
I looked around me at all the accusing faces. I took a deep breath. “No, I don’t refuse.”
Another burst of murmurs.
“Do you have a gift for your new recruit?”
“I…no I don’t.”
Sage Etorre stared at me. “Gab—Huntmaster De Luca, did you say you don’t have a gift?”
“I…well she wasn’t one of ours.”
The situation finally dawned on the Sage. He tried to disguise his confusion. The same expectation was clearly still intact at Castello.
“Ah, I see. Right then.”
“She can present Hollie with our gift,” said Larik. He stood up and gestured to one of the agents, who slipped from the room and returned carrying a large black box. I collected it from him and walked to the front of the room, very aware of hundreds of eyes drilling into my back. Hollie gave me an abashed smile as I opened the box. Inside was a beautifully-crafted bow made from polished silver. The word ‘Animus’ had been etched on the side.
“We named it Animus because the word means heart, which is the target for any true archer, but it also means courage,” said Larik. “You told me how much you loved archery, Hollie, and as we are Artemis, it felt a fitting gift.”
I felt so much guilt as I presented the box to her. She looked equally guilty as she took it. “Thank you, Larkin, it’s beautiful,” she said. Always the gracious man, Larkin gave a warm smile with absolutely no hint of malice. “I hope it serves you well Hollie. And serves Orion well.” He sat back down.
The box was re-collected by the agent, and Hollie joined me at the table. Everyone had to shift down to open up an extra space next to us. It was all horrendously awkward. But at the same time, I felt a sense of shameful pride that she had chosen us.
It took a while for the room to settle down. Hollie kept quiet, staring down into a new glass of champagne that had been set down in front of her. Danny was up next, and I prayed that there were no more surprises in store. He kept stealing glances at Hollie as he took part in the initiation, kneeling and receiving his mark of the Alliance with a small sign of discomfort. His face broke into a wide grin when the emblem was placed on his uniform and he rose into his new position as Guardian.
Sage Etorre’s voice sounded apprehensive as he spoke his next question. “By placing second in the Trials of the Chosen, you also have the privilege of selecting the group of Guardians you wish to join. Please speak it now.”
There was no hesitation in his reply. “Orion.”
The whole room breathed a sigh of relief. I stood for the second time and received the box that one of the agents had collected from my apartment. As I presented it to him, his smile grew even wider.
“This is our gift to you, to welcome you as one of us. It is a symbol of the strength, courage, and selflessness you have shown from the moment you arrived at the Warren. We hope it serves you well.”
Danny smiled at me and then tilted to give a nod to Alex, who raised his glass in response.
“Please join your new comrades at the table,” said Etorre once an agent had collected the box from me. We returned to the table, and he took the space intended for him that was now next to Hollie. He placed a brief hand on her back and she nodded, drinking more of her champagne and avoiding eye contact with any of the members of Artemis.
The rest of the initiations went off without a hitch. Troy joined Shyran in Trojan. Andrea and Elliot both became part of Titan. Richard went into Odin, and John joined Delta. Once everyone was settled, my old Sage gave a toast to both Hollie and Danny as the honourary Guardians of the ceremony and then gave a speech that was an extension on what he’d said at the graveyard: about honouring the fallen, but also how this year was the dawn of a new era for the Alliance and how soon we would be a force strong enough not only to destroy the SOS on Earth, but also to take on Hades. It was met with enthusiastic sounds of agreement and raised glasses. Afterwards, the pianist – whose performance had been piped around the Warren – began to play Bach’s ‘Prelude no.1’ and the feast started.
We were halfway through our main course when the nightmare began.
Danny and Alex were talking animatedly to each other about films whilst Grey and Delagio
engaged Hollie in conversation, asking her questions about her trials in the Prolesium. I could tell that Delagio was slightly jealous that he’d never had the opportunity to take part himself. Scarlett and I were chatting around the issue of Mikey. I knew that she wasn’t quite ready to speak about what it meant for their relationship and her joining us across the Veil, and I didn’t want to press the point. Even if she had wanted to talk about it, here wasn’t the place. Every now and then I gave Aran a smile, who was breaking off and eating the white leaves from some type of plant I had never seen before.
I swallowed a piece of Jackalope and turned to Scarlett. “So I was thinking that maybe tomorrow you could speak to Doctor Hudson about Alex and me coming to visit Mikey together?”
She finished sipping her champagne and nodded. “Sure I’ll—”
The ceremonial doors burst open. My eyes went wide when I saw Vidar Calis storm through the threshold, followed by his team of interrogators. His slick black hair was hanging over his eyes and his teeth were set together. “Everybody stop and listen to me.”
The pianist dropped his fingers away from the piano and the room fell quiet. Sage Etorre stood up. “Vidar, what is the meaning of this insolent interruption to the ceremony?”
“Where is Alexander Eden?”
I felt my stomach twist into a thousand knots. Why the hell do the interrogators want Alex? He looked at me, eyes wide in panic. A rush of incoherent words spread around the room as all the Guardians began to talk at the same time. Vidar moved into the room, eyes scanning wildly around. “Where is he?”
“What do you want with him?” demanded the Sage.
The interrogator ignored the Sage. They played by their own rules.
“As you all know, it is against the Alliance Law to refuse to give up someone that an interrogator is seeking.”
Richard stood up and pointed a finger at Alex. “He’s here!”
All ten of the interrogators marched between the tables towards Alex. He recoiled from them, trying to get a handle on the situation. I stood up and barred the way forward. “Tell us why you want him!” I shouted.
Vidar grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the others. “Restrain this one.” Four of them locked their arms around me and held tight as I thrashed about, trying to get free. Most of the Guardians were on their feet. The rest of Orion looked ready to pounce. Alex turned when he saw Vidar and raised his hands. “What am I supposed to have done?”
Vidar seized his hair and slammed his head into the table. Pressing his arm down on the side of his head, he spoke loud enough for everybody to hear whilst he pulled a set of reinforced handcuffs from the side of his belt.
“Alexander Eden, you are under arrest for treason against the Alliance.”
“NO!” I screamed.
The whole room erupted into chaos. Sage Etorre stormed forward with absolute fury in his eyes. Vidar clicked the cuffs onto Alex’s wrists and straightened up, pointing a finger. “Sage Etorre, might I remind you that I serve Sage Faru. You have no authority with me.”
“I am acting leader of this base!” shouted Sage Etorre.
“Regardless, this Guardian is a traitor, and he is coming with me.” He drove Alex’s head harder into the table. His twisted neck was angled towards me, and I could see the pain and fear in his eyes.
“What proof do you have of these accusations?”
“Oh proof you want? Okay then. He thrust a hand into Alex’s jacket until he found his Biomote. He threw it to another interrogator who pulled a phone out of his own pocket. I watched through tears as the other man pressed some buttons on the Biomote, and the phone started flashing.
“That phone belonged to one of the captured SOS. He has been in contact with them.”
There were loud gasps from the room.
“No, you’ve got it wrong!” I shouted. Elbowing one of my captors in the face –he fell back into the others – I broke free, running to Alex. Vidar pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at me. “This gun has concentrated Banshee poison in every round. You take one more step and it will be the last move you ever make, Miss De Luca.” I ground to a halt; my world was spinning out of control.
“We broke all three prisoners, and they all gave him up. Independently,” he added. “As much as you might wish to deny it, this boy is a traitor.” He tightened his grip on my soulmate.
“You’re hurting me,” growled Alex. Something was different in his voice.
“I could not care less. You are in for much more pain where you’re going.” He yanked Alex to his feet and twisted his arms up behind his back. Something black was creeping up Alex’s neck, and I realised it was the tattoo. When I looked at his face, I knew that my boyfriend was being replaced by something entirely different. The same deadly entity I had seen when he’d attacked Danny. He was wearing a dark smile.
“Alex, don’t,” I choked.
“Get the fuck off me, or I will kill you,” he stated. The way he spoke was so chilling that even Vidar faltered for a second.
“What’s happening to his eyes?” yelled Andrea.
They had turned completely black. Everyone stood up, arming themselves with every weapon they had to hand.
“No, don’t hurt him!” I pleaded desperately.
The rest of Orion looked helplessly from me to Alex. Even Sage Etorre was conflicted. They wanted to do something, but the evidence was plain for all to see. He is a traitor…that thing has made him one. And now everyone knows.
“You need to give him the elixir!” I shouted at Vidar, but he completely ignored me.
“Stop trying to resist!”
“You have three seconds to get your hands off me before I snap your spine in half,” said Alex.
Vidar locked an arm around his neck and started to drag him towards the door. “I’d like to see you try.”
“One.”
The interrogators pulled me away, pinning me against the tables.
“Two.”
I wrenched my head around so that I could see Alex as he passed me. The tattoo had covered most of his face and his lips were curled up into a vicious snarl. The pain of what I was witnessing was too much, and tears poured down my face. It felt like I was being ripped apart.
“Alex, don’t!”
“Three.”
Alex snapped his chains as if they were made from paper.
CRACK! He snapped the arm locked around his neck. Vidar screamed as his bone tore through the lining of his uniform. His gun clattered away from him and he scrambled away, whimpering.
Alex kicked the interrogator holding me down so hard, he somersaulted over the table and hit the wall on the other side. He grabbed another and punched him multiple times in the face until it was a mess of red. Guardians tried to help, but he swatted them away as if they were flies. Grabbing a third interrogator by the hair, he threw him up so high that he smashed into one of the chandeliers, sending crystals showering down onto the tables. His unconscious body landed on a table, shattering plates and glasses.
Despite my fear, I ran over to Alex. “Please, sweetie, don’t do this.”
He grabbed me by the jacket and drew me close to his face. His eyes were not human – they had become a gateway to some dark, horrible place. He seemed to study my face for a moment. Then he pressed a hand to my head, and I felt something colder than the thickest ice run through my veins.
I can’t breathe.
My heart started to slow down as I felt life draining from me. The lights turned to blurred halos, and the world wavered. I stretched my fingers out and touched his face with my fingertips. “Alex, please…”
He let out an inhuman roar and cast me aside. I gasped as air re-entered my lungs. I tried to get up, but I was too weak. I could only watch in horror as he beat a path through everyone in the room towards Vidar. The interrogator was cowering on the floor, his good arm shielding his face. Alex flipped him over onto his front and pressed a knee into his spine. He wrapped both his hands around the interrogator’s forehea
d. When he spoke, his words came out in a hundred different voices. “I told you I’d break you.” He started to pull backwards on Vidar’s head and press down with his knee, forcing his spine to bend the wrong way.
I could feel bile rising in my throat. “ALEX, STOP!” I shouted with everything I had left.
There were several loud bangs; people screamed. I couldn’t place them. Alex dropped Vidar’s head and for a moment I thought I’d managed to get through to him. Then he collapsed backwards, with purple smoke oozing from wounds on his chest and was still. Sage Etorre was revealed.
He was holding Vidar’s smoking gun.
I started screaming.
PART III
CONTROL
25
Gabriella
The aftermath of the feast was utter chaos. Guardians were demanding answers no one could give.
I had thought that Sage Etorre had killed Alex. Dragging myself over to him, I’d dug my fingers into his chest and pulled out the bullets before anyone could stop me. When he took a rasping breath, I almost wept with happiness. Despite everything, I would die before abandoning him.
Even though I had tried my best to stop them, Sage Etorre had allowed Vidar and the interrogators still standing to drag Alex away. Staggering to my feet, I had followed them as far as I could, pleading with them to give him the elixir and trying to explain that he was possessed. That he hadn’t done the things they thought he had. Eventually, I’d felt Delagio’s arms wrap around me and pull me, kicking and biting, back into the Feasting Hall.
“Please, Ella, calm down. There ain’t nothin’ you can do right now.”
I had collapsed onto a chair, my head swimming with dizziness. The truth was I had no choice but to calm down. It was either that or pass out.
I watched as the wounded were taken to the Recovery Centre for treatment. Other than that, no one knew what to do. The feast was over, that much was clear. But that didn’t stop people from hanging around and trying to find out what exactly had happened.
The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2) Page 36
