by N M Thorn
Eve opened both cages and pulled the girls out one at the time, pushing them toward Aidan. “They are yours,” she said, an evil smirk stretching her blood-red lips. “Now, I need you to hold your side of the bargain.”
Still holding Zane on his shoulder, Aidan approached Tessa and hugged her with his free hand, pulling her closer to his side.
“Are you all right, Tessa?” he asked quietly. His voice, overflowing with emotions, trembled. “Did she hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, pulling away from him and taking Tanya’s hand in hers. “We both are. What’s going on here? Why is Zane unconscious?” She glanced around, noticing an empty glass box and understanding shadowed her face. “Aidan, please tell me you are not exchanging Zane for me and Tanya.”
“Tessa, right now is not the time for this,” hissed Aidan. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car key. “My car is parked outside this house. I need you to take Tanya and drive straight to the Elements school. You have the key for the door. You both need to stay in my office and wait for my return. Do you understand me?”
Tessa didn’t take the key. She staggered back, shaking her head. “Aidan, I know you always hated Zane, but you can’t—”
“For once, listen to me, Tessa,” growled Aidan, stepping closer to her. “Do what I say. I promise, I’ll explain everything later!” He drew a rectangle in the air and fill it with a blinding white light, turning it into a door. “This door will take you straight to my car. Go! Both of you.”
Tanya stood flabbergasted, watching Aidan with her mouth open. He grabbed her and ushered her through the door. Then he seized Tessa’s hand and shoved the car key into her open palm. Tessa took the key and stepped back to the glowing doorway, her eyes filled with tears.
“If something happens to Zane, I will never forgive you, Aidan. Ever,” she whispered bitterly and stepped through the door.
Aidan stilled, Tessa’s words painfully cutting through his heart. Eve cackled, staring at him, gloating over the pained expression on his face.
“Your turn, my son.” She approached the empty glass box and opened it. “Get him inside this box and put these manacles on.”
Aidan put Zane inside the box and shackled his wrists with the heavy iron manacles that were attached to the top of the box. Eve pulled the chains up, lifting Zane into a sitting position. After that, she took an oxygen mask and placed it over his mouth and nose. The mask was attached to a medical oxygen tank.
“What are you planning to do to him, Eve?” asked Aidan. All these preparations were making his blood run cold.
“Did you knock him out? Is he unconscious?” asked Eve coldly.
“No, I’m holding him under my control by suppressing his fire,” replied Aidan. “As soon as I leave, he’ll regain his strength.”
“You see,” said Eve like it was supposed to mean something to him. “I don’t want to babysit him, using my energy to keep him under control. You probably noticed by now that controlling a Fire Salamander takes a lot of magic and strength. There are modern methods that allow you to suppress the fire without using magic. You can let go now, Aidan. I’ll take it from here.”
She cackled again and closed the door of the box, sealing it. Then she whispered a quick spell and another gas tank materialized inside the box. She said something, and the tank hissed, releasing some of its contents inside the box. The gas was colorless, but as soon as it came in contact with Zane’s skin, he jerked in his restraints and moaned.
“What is it? What are you doing to him?” asked Aidan, stepping closer to the box.
“Bromochlorodifluoromethane, or in layman's terms, Halon 1211,” explained Eve with a winning smile on her face. “You need to study modern chemistry, boy. The best agent on the market for suppressing the fire. It’s a little toxic to people, but our friend here is not human, so he’s not going to die. I enchanted this gas tank, to release some halon every hour to keep the Fire Salamander in him at bay.
“The halon will keep his fire restrained and weaken him physically. The oxygen will prevent him from dying a human death. Of course, this box is enchanted to control his natural state. Just in case. And yes, your friend is in a world of pain right now. But that’s just an added benefit of using chemistry as opposed to magic. Tonight, his screams will be welcome music to my ears.”
No longer controlled by Aidan’s magic, Zane opened his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils were dilated. He glanced at Aidan but couldn’t say anything and closed his eyes again.
“Why do you need a Fire Salamander, Eve? This particular Salamander is in his infancy. He doesn’t even know everything about his abilities,” said Aidan and waved his hand around the room. “And eight Reapers. Why do you need all of them?”
“You are not seriously thinking I’m going to reveal my plan to you, Aidan McGrath.” She laughed scornfully. “How thick do you think I am? And by the way, there used to be eight and a half Reapers here just a few minutes ago.”
“What do you mean, eight and a half?” asked Aidan, involuntarily stepping closer to her.
“Seriously?” huffed Eve, her sinister smile getting more carnivorous by the moment. Her eyes measured him appraisingly, and she clapped her hands a few times. “You really this stupid? I know that the Guardian was doing a great job shadowing her magical energy, but come on, Aidan. You’re some sort of itsy-bitsy god. You should have sensed it.”
“Sensed what, Eve?” growled Aidan through clenched teeth.
“Your little lover. She’s part Reaper. She’s some kind of magical abomination. Part Reaper and part—even I don’t know what her second part is. Not human, that’s for sure. Both her parents were creatures of magic. Didn’t you know that, you dimwit?” She barked laughing, throwing her head back. “I know you spent nine hundred years as a bird, but I didn’t realize that you elected to keep the bird’s brain after the curse was broken.”
For a moment his mind went blank. Tessa was part Reaper? Eve was right. How could he not feel it all this time? He sensed some kind of magical energy in her but could never recognize it. The magical energy of Reapers or any other beings associated with Death wasn’t strong, but it was easily recognizable. He didn’t think Eve would lie to him about something like that. She was taking too much pleasure in his current state of bewilderment.
“Now, lad, go away. Go play with your wee friends. Mama is busy here,” she said cackling, waving her hand dismissively. “Shoo, shoo!”
Aidan cringed, but not from her insulting, patronizing way of addressing him. He was looking over Eve’s head at Zane’s desperate situation and his legs were filled with lead. He couldn’t bring himself to leave him like that. He walked around Eve toward the glass box, but before he could reach it, something struck him in the back and everything around him got blurry.
When the blurriness disappeared, he was standing outside of the main gate. He tried the gate, but it was locked. He tried to teleport inside but hit an invisible wall.
The entire territory of the property was surrounded with a giant circle of the God’s Snare.
No one could get in.
No one could get out.
Chapter 35
~ Aidan ~
Aidan teleported back to his office and searched around for Tessa and Tanya. He found them right away. Through the office window that was facing the dojang floor, he could see them both, sitting on the mats, talking. They looked relaxed and were even smiling, discussing something. He felt relieved that both girls were unharmed, but it wasn’t enough to make him feel better about everything that happened.
He gripped the edge of the desk, his fingers leaving dents in the polished hardwood surface. A wave of anger and despair slowly rose within him, threatening to spill over. He roared, flipping the desk over. The computer monitor, pens, and all the documents fell on the floor, scattering before his feet. He stared down at the mess he created, breathing heavily, his gaze hollow. As the seething rage slowly started abandoning his body, he fell
down to his knees and sat back on his heels, his arms dropped powerlessly by his sides.
“Aidan!”
Aidan raised his head, slowly regaining his control and focused his mind on the present. Tessa was standing in the doorway. With her arms crossed over her chest, she was scolding him with a furious gaze. Tanya was standing behind her, staring at him over Tessa’s shoulder with curiosity.
“You owe me an explanation, Aidan McGrath,” demanded Tessa coldly. “And it better be a good one.”
“Tessa,” mumbled Aidan. “Yes, of course. We need to talk. But before we talk, I have to take Tanya to her father.”
“No,” objected Tessa. “You are going to explain everything, and you are going to do it right now. Starting with your performance at Zane’s house five days ago and finishing with you handing him over to that evil bitch.”
Aidan got up heavily, adjusting his shirt, and for a moment silently stared at Tessa. He approached her and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Tessa, please wait for me here,” he said calmly. “I need to take Tanya home and there is something I need to do for Zane. It’s important that I do it right away. I promise to explain everything as soon as I come back.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with tears as she silently stared at him. “Don’t you dare mention his name,” she said, tears now running down her flushed face. “You betrayed him. I still can’t believe you were capable of doing something so… low!” She pulled her hand back and slapped Aidan across his face with all her strength.
A blinding white light exploded in Aidan’s head and he pressed his hand to his prickling cheek. He looked down at Tessa, his eyes still watering from the slap and sighed.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please do not go anywhere,” he said quietly and walked around her to Tanya. “Tanya, I’m going to take you to your father. You already know that magic is real, so I hope you won’t mind if instead of driving, we teleport to your father’s house.”
“Thank you, sir,” Tanya mumbled, hardly raising her eyes at him. “What do you need me to do?”
“Do you mind if I pick you up? It will be easier this way for both of us,” he said, feeling tired and resigned.
Tanya shook her head no, and he easily lifted her. Holding her in his arms, he vanished out of the office without looking back at Tessa.
Aidan knew exactly where Anatoly Karpenko’s mansion was located. He had been monitoring Anatoly’s illegal activities for years. However, lately Anatoly started to venture into a dangerous new territory—the world of magic. Mundane himself, he hired a few wizards for protection and didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, dealing with vampires, werewolves, shifters and even an occasional demon who was not controlled by the supernatural rulers. Aidan still didn’t figure out the nature of Anatoly’s dealings with the supernatural crowd, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything good.
They manifested on the steps of the house. Anatoly’s guards rushed toward him, pulling their guns out. Aidan ignored them completely. He glanced at Tanya, who was holding on to him for dear life.
“Are you still a little dizzy?” he asked her.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. Aidan shifted her weight to his left arm and waved his right hand, disarming the guards. The guards shouted something, trying to get in his way and stop him from entering. Maybe some other day, he would try to talk to the guards and ask them to call Anatoly, but today he had no patience for them. He waved his hand again, knocking the guards off their feet and walked through the door inside the mansion.
The main lobby was dark and empty. Aidan stopped and gently put Tanya down, still holding his hand on her shoulder for support. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his side.
“Anatoly Karpenko!” shouted Aidan, magically magnifying his voice. “This is Aidan McGrath. I’m here with your daughter.”
Anatoly showed up a few minutes later accompanied by four armed bodyguards. They surrounded their boss in a protective circle, holding their guns pointed at Aidan. Anatoly’s eyes fell on his daughter and for a split-second happiness lit up his face. However, he stopped a few feet away from Aidan, carefully observing him.
“Good evening, Mr. McGrath,” he said cautiously. “It’s not only my daughter you brought back to me tonight. You gave me back the joy of my life. Thank you.” He waved his hand at Tanya to approach him, but she didn’t move. “Daughter, come here, sweetheart, let me finally hug you.”
“No, Papa,” said Tanya, stepping in front of Aidan, attempting to shield him with her tiny body, “not until you promise that you’re not going to harm Mr. McGrath. He saved my life, Papa. Tell your bodyguards to lower their guns.”
Aidan bent down a little and whispered into Tanya’s ear, “You know that regular guns can’t hurt me, right?” He smiled at her encouragingly. “Magic and all. Go to your father, Tanya. I’ll be all right.”
Anatoly gestured to his bodyguards to lower their weapons. Tanya gave Aidan another tight hug and ran into her father’s embrace. Anatoly kissed his daughter and sent her upstairs, followed by one of his bodyguards.
“Mr. McGrath, I don’t know how to thank you for saving my daughter and returning her to me,” said Anatoly, taking a step forward and extending his hand to Aidan.
Aidan looked down at his hand but didn’t shake it. “It’s not me who you need to thank, Mr. Karpenko,” he said icily. “It was Zane Burns who exchanged his life and safety for that of your daughter. And I am here to see you holding up your promise to him. I want to see his friends released, alive and well.”
“I’m a man of my word, Mr. McGrath,” said Anatoly dryly, squaring his shoulders. “Rest assured, Mr. Burns’ friends will be released immediately, unharmed.”
Aidan chuckled and shook his head. “No offense, Mr. Karpenko, but I can’t rest assured until I talk to them and see them freed with my own eyes. What is it you Russians say? ‘Doveryaj, no proveryaj’—trust, but verify. And I’m determined to do just that—trust, but verify.”
Anatoly grunted, a displeasure reflected on his face, and threw his hands in the air.
“Fine,” he muttered grumpily and pivoted on his heel. “Follow me, Mr. McGrath. Let’s conclude this business.”
Aidan followed the mobster upstairs to his private office. Anatoly opened the door for him, gesturing to come in, and once inside, offered him a chair to sit down. He was polite but reserved, and Aidan could sense the stench of fear lingering around this man like a Chernobyl radioactive cloud. Aidan sat down and relaxed in the chair, staring at Anatoly with narrowed eyes.
Anatoly turned around the monitor of his computer and opened a security cameras’ video feed on the screen. The screen was divided into four sections. Three of them were showing semi-dark rooms that looked like jail cells. There was a person in each of the rooms. Due to the late hour, the prisoners appeared to be asleep. The last video feed was showing the street outside. The street was empty and dark, lit up by a single streetlight. Anatoly picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“Pavel,” he said to the man who answered his call, “please give your phone to Mr. Shevchenko. And while I’m talking to him, please bring the other two to his accommodations.”
On the screen, an armed guard opened one of the cells and walked up to the man inside. The man was asleep, but as soon as the guard shook his shoulder, he got up sharply, his body language suggesting that he was ready to fight at the first sight of danger. The guard gave him his phone, saying something, but the video feed didn’t provide the sound and Aidan couldn’t hear him.
“Mr. Shevchenko,” said Anatoly, “your friend, Zane Burns, or as you call him—Gunz, kept his word. In a minute, you’ll be reunited with your friends and all three of you will be free to go on with your lives. But in the meantime, I have someone here who wishes to have a word with you.”
Anatoly gave the phone to Aidan. “Go ahead.”
Aidan took the phone from Anatoly and pressed it to his ear. �
�Hello,” he said, his fingers mindlessly fidgeting with the cord. “My name is Aidan McGrath. I’m Zane’s—” He couldn’t bring himself to say the word friend after what he had done to Zane and didn’t know how to introduce himself. “Zane asked me to make sure you were okay.”
“Thank you, Aidan,” replied Sasha, throwing a glance at the security camera. “Is Gunz okay? I’m a little surprised he’s not there himself.”
“I’m sorry, he couldn’t be here,” said Aidan, his throat dry. “This is why he sent me here. Do not hang up, stay on the phone with me so I can make sure that all of you are far away from that place and safe.”
Aidan switched his attention to Anatoly.
“Mr. Karpenko, Mr. Shevchenko will keep this phone for as long as he needs it,” he ordered in a no-nonsense voice. “Also, I want you to provide them with a vehicle. I will reimburse the cost of the car and the phone, of course.”
Anatoly leaned forward slightly, pressing both fists into the desk, his eyes burning with scorn. He ground his teeth but nodded to Aidan.
“The reimbursement won’t be necessary, Mr. McGrath,” muttered Anatoly. He pulled out his personal cell phone and dialed another number, quickly giving all the instructions to the man in charge.
Aidan watched Sasha reunited with his friends and escorted out of his cell. A moment later, he saw them standing outside the building.
“Aidan, we are out,” said Sasha. “We’re fine. They are letting us leave and giving us a car.”
“Stay on the phone with me until you’re at least a few miles away from that place,” said Aidan.
“Yes, sir,” replied Sasha.
