by N M Thorn
“Whoa… Stop right there, Aidan,” said Gunz stepping forward. “Nothing like that happened or could ever happen between me and Tessa.”
“Silence, lizard!” snarled Aidan. He snapped his fingers and Gunz felt an invisible collar wrapping around his neck, squeezing his windpipe. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Automatically, his hands moved to his neck as he struggled to breathe. He channeled as much fire through his body as he could without reverting to his natural state, obliterating the restraints of Aidan’s magic.
Tessa jumped forward, stomping her foot angrily. “No, you shut up!” she yelled, punching Aidan in his chest. “Who the hell are you to tell me who I can or cannot sleep with? You’re not my father. It’s none of your business, you jerk. Unlike you, Zane doesn’t lie to me. He is exactly what he says he is.”
Aidan grabbed Tessa’s wrists, pulling her closer. “Is he now? Are you sure he told you everything?” he hissed, staring at her with his unnerving white eyes. Then he glanced at Gunz and smirked. “Do you want to tell her what you are, Gunz, or should I?”
“God knows what you are, but I know exactly what he is, Aidan. He’s a Fire Salamander!” shouted Tessa, twisting her hands, trying to get free from Aidan’s grip. Then Aidan’s words dawned on her and she stared at Gunz over her shoulder. “Wait… Gunz? Why did he call you that, Zane?”
“Because it’s my nickname,” said Gunz with a sigh. “That what my friends used to call me back in Belarus.”
“Tell her about your daytime job, Gunz,” suggested Aidan snidely.
“How is that relevant to anything?” asked Gunz, fighting a losing battle with anger.
“Let me do the honors.” Aidan laughed, his face remaining cold. “Tessa, your reptilian pet here is an FBI agent. He was undercover, investigating all of us, including you.” Aidan let go of Tessa’s wrists and she slowly turned around to face Gunz.
“Tessa, I’m not an FBI agent. I’m a consultant, working with the paranormal division of the FBI,” explained Gunz.
He reached in the pocket of his pants and showed her his FBI consultant badge. She glanced at the badge and lowered her eyes, shaking her head. The disappointment was exuding from her every pore. With regret Gunz realized, that no matter what he was going to say, his relationship with Tessa was most likely ruined and the person who would suffer the most, was Tessa.
“Yes, I was undercover, but I wasn’t investigating any of you,” said Gunz, stepping closer to her, but she staggered back, away from him and held her hand up to stop him. “Not you, Master McGrath, not you, Tessa. I was investigating five paranormal homicides that were committed in the area… As of today, it’s already seven homicides… I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about that. But the work I do with the FBI is classified.”
Tessa backed away toward the door, her eyes darting from Gunz to Aidan, a pained expression on her face.
“Gunz… or whatever your name is… You’re an FBI consultant,” she whispered, gazing at him reproachfully.
“Tessa—,” started Gunz, but she didn’t listen to him. Slowly she turned to Aidan, tears silently running down her pale face.
“Aidan, I don’t even know what you are… You were my only friend, my stronghold, my safe place… You were my everything, Aidan… But now, I don’t know you anymore…” She shook her head, her lips quivering. “I don’t want to see either of you.” Tessa pivoted on her heels and stormed out of the house.
“Tessa, wait,” said Gunz, taking a step forward.
“Stay still,” commanded Aidan frostily and the energy of his magic wrapped around Gunz’s body, pinning him in place. “I’m not done with you.”
“But I’m done with you!” growled Gunz.
The fire rose in him, burning out the chains of Aidan’s magic. He pulled the fire into his hands and redirected a smoldering stream of flames at his opponent. Aidan laughed and blasted Gunz with the blazing ray of his magic. The red beam of fire collided with the white ray of pure magical energy with a thunderous bang. Gunz reached for more fire, now his whole body ablaze.
Aidan extended his arm up, shouted something and icy rain fell from the ceiling. Gunz cried out, the touch of freezing water and icicles to his skin sent him into the abyss of pain. Ignoring the pain, he let the fire take over, bordering with reverting into his natural state. The water started to evaporate at the touch with his scorching skin, hissing loudly. The swirls of steam rose in the air.
Despite all that, his stream of fire didn’t waver, and Aidan howled in rage. He intertwined the elemental power of water with the stream of his magical energy. The ground quacked. The water clashed with fire, filling the house with hot steam. The room looked like a battlefield, but neither Aidan nor Gunz were willing to stop.
Mishka assumed his true form, yelled something to Gunz and vanished. A few minutes later, a fire curtain manifested in the living room and a giant man walked through it. Fire was burning in the bottom of his deeply set eyes and his flaming red hair was flowing to his back. He folded his brawny arms over his wide chest and for a few seconds was standing still, observing the reenactment of the doomsday prophesy that was unfolding in the living room of the small suburban house. Neither Gunz nor Aidan noticed his presence until it was too late.
“Cease!” shouted the man. His voice, strong and deep, reverberated from the walls of the room. The fire obeyed his command, ceasing immediately. Both Gunz and Aidan stopped the fight and stared at the man.
“Kal,” whispered Gunz, breathing hard.
“Great Salamander,” said Aidan, bowing.
“Silence!” shouted Kal, anger setting his arms and hair into scorching flames. He turned to Gunz and extended his hand to him. “Fire Salamander, down! You’re grounded until the end of your days, boy!”
The tight grip of Kal’s control twisted Gunz’s body. He collapsed to his knees, bowing low to the floor. Gunz knew that it was useless to fight against Kal’s control, but he couldn’t help but struggle. “Kal, please, let me explain,” he pleaded.
“I said, silence!” boomed the Great Salamander and turned to Aidan. “Aidan McGrath, stop the water. You’re destroying the house that belongs to the Master of Power.”
Aidan waved his hand, stopping the flow of water. Kal frowned at him and shook his head.
“Aidan McGrath, you’re over two thousand years old, but you are behaving like a hormonal teenager,” yelled Kal, throwing his hands in the air. “Jealousy scrambled your brain to the point that you can’t see what’s right in front of your eyes!”
Kal turned to Gunz, his eyes blazing with fury.
“And you, my Salamander, I’m so disappointed,” he shouted, stamping his foot. “Did I teach you nothing? You are still punching first, asking questions later!” He stopped talking, breathing hard, glaring at Aidan and Gunz with reproach. “What’s wrong with both of you? Don’t you see? You two have a common enemy! But the two of you prefer to turn your powers against each other instead of combining them to fight your adversary!”
Kal approached Gunz and lifted him with one arm, easily throwing him over his shoulder. Then he turned back to Aidan.
“Aidan McGrath, out of respect to your mentor, I’m not going to tell my Salamander who and what you are, even though you didn’t think twice before exposing his identity. I’ll let you think about everything and when you’re ready, you need to find Gunz and do it yourself. You two must find a way to put your petty differences aside and work together if you want to survive and give a chance of survival to all the humans of this world. Get in touch with your mentor, Aidan, and talk to him. It’s important. Do you understand me, boy?”
“Yes, my lord,” replied Aidan with a respectful bow.
Kal waved his hand, unfolding his fire portal and walked up to it with Gunz’s limp body hanging over his shoulder. Gunz couldn’t move, completely subdued by Kal’s control. Kal stopped next to the portal and turned to Aidan again.
“And Aidan… I’ll let it slide this time, but I swear,
you try to put your hand on my Salamander again and even your mentor won’t be able to help you against my wrath. Only I can reprimand my children. No one else. Am I clear, Aidan McGrath?”
“Yes, my lord,” replied Aidan quietly.
Gunz snickered inside. He wished he could see Aidan’s face at this moment, but he was immobilized to the point where he couldn’t even move his eyes.
Kal walked through his portal and gently lowered Gunz down to the floor. As he was still controlled by Kal, Gunz couldn’t get up, but his body was trembling violently, a thick blue vein pulsing on his neck. It wasn’t fear that was making him shake. Kal controlled him even though he swore that he would never use his power against him. He made him kneel in front of this asshole Aidan McGrath. And right now, a raw rage was tearing through him, making him quiver with indignation.
“Gunz, my Salamander, I’m sorry, I had to control you. I had to give a show to Aidan McGrath and let him think that I was upset with you,” whispered Kal, kneeling next to him. “Don’t be afraid. You didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not here to punish you. You may rise, my child.”
As soon as Kal released him, Gunz exploded up, reverting to his natural state and rising to the same height as Kal. His rage was fueling his power, and the fire wrapped around him like a scorching spiral.
“I’m not scared of you, Kal, I’m pissed! You controlled me!” shouted Gunz, punching the air, and his voice infused with the fire bounced off the tall ceiling.
“I love to see you so powerful, so fierce,” said Kal unfazed by Gunz’s outburst, a light smile curving his thin lips. “Maybe I should control you more often?”
“Ugh,” Gunz growled, going back to his human form and his normal height. “Kal, you’re just unbearable, infuriating… Why did you bring me here? And where are we?”
Gunz looked around, not recognizing the place. He was in a large room that looked like the bedroom suite of some luxury five-star hotel, furnished with expensive modern furniture and decorated in contemporary style. He walked to the window and separated the vertical blinds. An unobstructed view of the ocean unfolded before his eyes.
“You’re not far from home, my child,” said Kal. “This is one of my residences in this world. Fire-proof and protected, for the humans’ sake of course. You can safely stay in your natural state here if that’s what you want.”
“Why did you bring me here,” asked Gunz, searching for a chair. After everything that happened, he felt exhausted. He found a chair next to a small round table and sat down.
“I brought you here because you needed a break,” said Kal. “The last few days got you exhausted as a man and drained you as the Salamander. You still have a lot to learn, my child. After you sort this mess out, you should come back to me and spend some time learning and training.”
He stopped behind Gunz and put his hand on his head, slowly circulating the Fire energy through him. Gunz sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the flow of his element.
“Thank you,” he mumbled drowsily.
Kal stopped the flow of power and sat down on a chair across from him. Gunz stretched his arm on the table and rested his head on top of his arm.
“Gunz, I’ll let you take a rest in a few minutes,” promised Kal, “but let’s have a quick talk first.”
“Okay…”
“I have to tell you the same thing I already said to Aidan—you must put your differences aside and work together.”
“I already tried to work with him—didn’t work,” muttered Gunz, his eyes closing. “I can’t do it. He’s an insufferable, arrogant jackass.”
“I’m sure that after Aidan will have a talk with his mentor, he may change his attitude a bit,” said Kal, snickering.
“Who is his mentor,” asked Gunz without opening his eyes, his mind drifting on and off. “What is he? Can you tell me?”
“I know who Aidan is and I know his mentor very well,” replied Kal, tapping on Gunz’s hand to wake him up. “But I promised that I wouldn’t tell you. His mentor believes that Aidan needs to do it himself.”
“Whatever…”
“When you get back home tomorrow, I need you to meet with Aidan,” said Kal. “I know that you don’t want to, but you must. Do you understand me, Salamander?”
“Yes, sir…” Gunz lifted his head tiredly and looked at Kal. “I need to get some rest, I’m sorry. I forgot already when I had a decent sleep.”
“Gunz, you and Aidan need to find Eve and stop her,” said Kal, rising. “She is more powerful and a lot scarier than you think. She must be stopped. Am I clear?”
“How did you know about Eve? And what do you know about her?”
Gunz got up, swaying and stared at Kal, surprised. He didn’t remember saying anything to Kal about his conversation with the Russian mobster. Before he finished saying it, he remembered about Mishka. Of course, the pesky wyvern was spying for Kal. He was probably the one who brought Kal in the midst of his fight with Aidan.
“Only what I just said.” Kal pulled him toward the bed. “She’s an unspeakable evil and whatever she’s up to can’t be any good. You must stop her.”
“Oh good,” mumbled Gunz falling on the bed, “we’re on the same page then. I also want to find this Eve, very much… But I need to find Tessa and take care of her situation too.”
“Forget about Tessa, Gunz,” said Kal with a sigh, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him. “Aidan is head over heels with her and his jealousy is driving this pointless confrontation between you two. Let Aidan take care of her. Besides that, she has a Guardian. At this moment, she’s a lot safer than you or Aidan. He doesn’t even realize yet in what kind of danger he is.”
“Fine,” agreed Gunz. He just had no strength to argue with Kal. “Do you know what Tessa is? Why the Guardians are protecting her?”
Kal threw his hands in the air. “It’s like talking to a wall,” he muttered under his breath, but Gunz heard him and the corners of his lips quirked up. “I’m not telling you anything. Forget it for now. You have a more important mission. Do you understand me, Salamander?”
“Yes, sir,” said Gunz, raising his hand to his temple in a mock military salute.
“Ahh, you’re a pain in the ass, Salamander,” muttered Kal, rising. “Remember your mission. Nothing else matters.”
“Yes, sir…”
“I’m leaving. When you wake up tomorrow, just open the portal to your house.”
“Yes, sir… Thank you, Father…” said Guns hardly moving his lips and a split-second later, he was fast asleep.
Chapter 23
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
“Wakey-wakey, lizard-head.”
Gunz opened his eyes and jerked back. Mishka, the wyvern, was hovering an inch above his face. He waved his hand at the wyvern, like he was nothing but an annoying insect. Shrilling his battle cry, Mishka made a loop de loop in the air and swooshed down over his arm. With his sharp claws, he caught the edge of the blanket and ripped it off Gunz.
“Hibernation is over,” announced Mishka zooming in front of Gunz’s eyes.
“Hibernation?” Gunz sat up, rubbing his eyes. The window blinds were open, and the sunlight flowed freely into the room. He glanced around, recalling his confrontation with Aidan McGrath and shuddered. Kal was nowhere to be seen, and Gunz wished that his mentor was here, so he could talk to him now, when he wasn’t completely wiped out.
Kal didn’t like to get involved in mortal affairs. Normally, to get any information from him was as hard as getting a vampire to sunbathe. The Great Salamander would speak in riddles, avoiding giving him a straight answer. But yesterday he was straightforward, ordering Gunz to work with Aidan McGrath. It could mean only one thing—dealing with Eve, whoever or whatever she was, was no joking matter. Kal was seriously concerned. And if his powerful and fearless mentor felt uneasy, Gunz should take this situation seriously.
He got off the bed and to his surprise noticed a clean set of his clothes by the bedside, including his snea
kers. Kal cared enough to go back to his house in Coral Springs and deliver the clothes to him. After all, when Kal carried him here through the portal, Gunz had only his pants on. His cell phone was lying next to his clothes, fully charged. He picked up the phone and noticed three missed calls from Jim. The phone was showing ten in the morning, and he thought he’d call Jim as soon as he got back home. Jim could wait a few more minutes.
Gunz went to the shower and turned the shower handle all the way to the left. The burning-hot water rushed down his body and he lifted his face up, enjoying the heat. Thirty minutes later, he walked back into the room, feeling refreshed and energized. The smell of freshly made coffee was floating in the air and he glanced around surprised.
Mishka flew closer to him, holding a fresh white towel in his paw. “Your coffee is served, boss,” he announced, waving the towel in the direction of the table.
Gunz sat down, taking the hot cup. “Thank you, Mishka. I needed it.”
“I bet you needed it after your hibernation,” muttered Mishka, moving a plate with a piece of toast closer to him.
“You keep saying ‘hibernation’,” said Gunz sipping his coffee, giving Mishka a wary look. “Why is that?”
“You don’t know?” asked Mishka, landing on the table in front of him.
“What exactly am I supposed to know?”
“Remember, I’m just a messenger,” said Mishka, pushing Gunz’s cell phone toward him. “What date is it today, boss?”
Gunz grabbed the phone and stared at the screen. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed, jumping off his chair, almost spilling his coffee. “Are you saying I slept almost forty hours straight?”
“I’m saying nothing,” muttered Mishka, inching his way to the other end of the table. “Your phone is saying that. You should be mad at your phone, not at your loyal and wise wyvern.”
“Why would I be mad at you, Mishka?” asked Gunz quickly downing the rest of his coffee. “Why didn’t you wake me up yesterday morning?”
