by Simon Archer
My eyes quickly snapped back to Kara. Her fingers were still whittling away at the keys of the laptop she’d confiscated from the officer. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but whatever it was had to be important.
There was a loud crack at the top of the tower, and I caught the tail end of Akemi and the figure at the top coming to blows. The villainess teetered, and I thought they would fall from the tower. Instead, they took a voluntary plunge to avoid another one of Akemi’s blows.
As they both plummeted to the ground, Triton yelled at Akemi to use certain moves to help her gain the upper hand. However, like his previous instructions, he went ignored, and Akemi continued to sling beams of high-pressure water wildly from the palms of her hands. Each one missed, and I could practically hear her frustration as the figure mocked her.
When they were closer to the ground, I noticed that there was steam coming from the ice coating the tower. It began to crack and break into pieces, which both the figure and Akemi used to their advantage in their deadly dance. I winced several times, each one when Akemi came dangerously close to ending up with an icicle the size of a hovercar lodged in some part of her body. Thankfully, she was nimble enough to dodge them without much effort, but it didn’t stop me from worrying that this was going to end badly.
Only a few yards from the ground, Akemi managed to get her footing on one of the shards and used her stolen water powers to shoot at the ground and slow her descent. The ice crashed and crumbled beneath her feet as she landed, but she barely wasted any time going after the figure, who was now fully visible to the onlookers.
I couldn’t lie. The villainess was gorgeous. Not the kind of gorgeous that came with misty skin and mussed hair after a night of passion, but the devilish kind. Her hair was ash blond, and her crimson eyes were painted with dark, smoky makeup. Lips as red as blood smirked as Akemi came at her again, and her short black dress did nothing to hide the curves of her body when she dodged her predictable attack.
“Holy shit,” Margo gasped, and I felt her legs tense around my head.
“What’s up?” I asked, but she didn’t have to answer. As soon as I had caught a glimpse of what Margo had seen, I gasped to myself. “Dark Rose?” I stood in a bit of shock, then looked to Triton for confirmation. He offered nothing but a short, blunt nod, and I grit my teeth.
Unlike Diamond, Dark Rose was a name I knew. She had been imprisoned by Amazoness some years ago after she had gone on a killing spree in the city. I had already been taken from Inferno Island, so I vividly remember watching the news when Gemma would leave to stop her. Dark Rose had gotten away several times and had made a name for herself as a serial killer. In addition to all her other cold powers, she had the ability to turn people’s blood to ice with just a touch of her fingertip, a twisted version of Triton’s blood control powers. Since the body was made up of seventy percent water, well, it was easy for her to touch and go as her targets died.
“She should still be in prison,” Margo added. “How did she get out?”
I shook my head. “There’s been an uprising in villainy since my old man came around. Maybe someone broke her out.”
“That’s not unlikely,” Margo agreed, and I could hear the frown in her tone. “I hope your friend is careful.”
“Sir, please,” I begged, “Akemi needs help.”
“You will not interfere, Nick,” he told me a bit more sternly. “This task is for Miss Johnson, Miss Maneru, and myself.”
I huffed in disappointment. I had wanted to warn Akemi and assist her somehow, but the fire in her eyes told me she already knew who Dark Rose was and how she was going to handle it. Her teeth were bared, and I could see her temper rising with each dramatic flourish of her hands as she desperately tried to harness Triton’s power.
Heatwaves continued to radiate from the tower as the ice melted, and I realized that Kara must have hacked into the tower’s heating systems and used her technopathy to reconfigure and amplify the systems. It might have caused some internal damage, but it was better than standing there with a hairdryer for twenty-seven years waiting for the tower to defrost fully and get back online.
But why the tower in the first place? That seemed like an odd spot to attack. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this part of town. There were some shops and restaurants, and it was usually where the city started the Christmas parade route. Other than that, it was insignificant.
A sharp scream from Akemi grabbed my attention. Three deep scratch marks marred Dark Rose’s cheek, but that was nothing in comparison to what she had done to Akemi. Her entire right arm was encased in the same manner as the tower had been, only there were no rigid edges. No, it was like her entire arm had been completely frozen from the inside. Agony crossed Akemi’s features, and she fell to her knees. She’d tried to use the same scalding hot water technique that had worked on the ice before, but it only seemed to do more damage to her frozen appendage.
There was a whispered exchange in which Akemi screamed and thrashed before she was tossed aside, and Dark Rose froze Triton’s feet in place to prevent him from going after her. She didn’t seem to pay any mind to Kara. Maybe she thought her unimportant. I knew differently, but I was glad that Dark Rose hadn’t given her a second glance.
Then she turned, and I swore she looked me dead in the eyes as she cackled and winked. My feet hadn’t been frozen like Triton’s had been. I could have given her more of a fight, but before I could place one foot in front of the other, she was gone, nothing but red snow in her wake. What I did catch before she vanished shook me to my core, and I nearly dropped Margo when she started to climb down from my shoulders.
On the right side of her chest, just beneath her collarbone, there was the same upside-down triangle with a raised fist going through it tattooed on her skin. My heart pounded against my chest. This was bigger than just some extra villainy. There was something big happening in Alexandria, and I ached to think that there was even the smallest chance that my father was a part of it.
As soon as she was gone and Margo’s feet were on the ground, I rushed to the other side of the block where Dark Rose had tossed Akemi. I skidded to a stop next to Kara, who was already tending to Akemi’s frozen arm.
The Brand warrior bit back tears as they pricked her eyes, and she grunted in pain as she leaned back against the communication tower.
“Are you two okay?” I asked as I kneeled. Now that I saw Akemi’s injury up close, there was no way she was any kind of okay. I gently put my hand down onto the ice, and it was so cold that my skin felt like it was burning.
Finally, Triton had broken free of his foot confines and rushed over to us as well. A deep frown formed on his face, and his brows were knitted with shock and concern.
“Hang on, Akemi,” he soothed quietly as he moved to scoop her up. I thought she would fight him off, but the more I studied her face, the more I saw defeat and shame take over, and she let her guard down as two stray tears slid down her cheeks.
“Nick,” she muttered softly as Triton carefully adjusted her in his arms. It was nice to hear her say my name as opposed to Young Lord. The former was much better suited to me.
“Hey,” I greeted with a kind smile. “You really gave it your all out here.”
“It wasn’t enough,” she immediately countered, then stared hard at her frozen arm. “Anyway, thanks for the afternoon out today. I meant to say it earlier but--”
“No worries,” I chuckled. “I had a nice time. We should go out again sometime.”
“I think I’d like that,” she smiled a little through her pain, “and bring that reporter girl. She’s pretty cute.”
I nodded and brushed some of the hair from her face. She really was a beautiful girl.
“Yeah, I will.”
13
The day following the attack at the communication tower and Dark Rose’s snowy escape left me wracking my brain. I drummed my pen on my notebook, distracted from whatever lesson it was that Miss Magus was teaching
. Although she herself was an interesting character, I couldn’t get myself to focus on the way she taught. She wasn’t Gemma, and I wasn’t interested.
Instead, my mind wandered to the events that had taken place over the course of the last few days. For starters, there was the tattoo, the triple triad, that had appeared on two of the villains that we’d encountered on our ride-alongs. Matt hadn’t said anything about seeing any marking on any of the thugs he’d taken on, but he wasn’t really the best when it came to details. Even if he were, there was a good chance that he didn’t necessarily register what it was. To him, it would have just looked like any ordinary tattoo. He wouldn't have thought to connect it to anything.
We still didn’t know anything more about Carter either, at least nothing that I had been made aware of. That irked me as well, but I wasn’t going to let it get in the way of the here and now. I trusted that if something were revealed, Triton and the other heroes would take care of it or at the very least pass along the information since we had been the ones to fight them at the World’s Finest.
Regardless, I couldn’t focus. My mind kept wandering, and I felt like without all of my girls with me, I was starting to lose my grip. Kara was great. She always was, and as soon as she’d found me in the crowd last night, she hugged me tightly and thanked the heavens that I was all right. Honestly, it was me who was thankful. I knew the kind of dangerous woman that Dark Rose was, and just the thought of her touching Kara was enough to give me nightmare after nightmare while I slept.
Still, I missed Andie and Aylin, my Sun and my Stars. Talking to them on the phone wasn’t enough, but I knew that it would have to do for now.
“Psst.”
I flicked my gaze to the left of me to see Kara discreetly handing me a folded sheet of paper. Inwardly, I was charmed as I took it from her fingers. It reminded me of when we passed notes in primary school, which was mostly just sharing doodles back and forth then. I opened it out of sight of Miss Magus and scanned over the contents.
‘You look stressed. Can I help?’
I smiled genuinely at her concern. Normally it was me trying to assuage the girls and their fears and insecurities, not the other way around. It was a lovely feeling knowing that even if I didn’t need it often, I could lean on them as well.
The question was, could she help? I thought of the different ways that she could possibly help at all. The thought of getting lost in mind-blowing sex was certainly an appeal, I wouldn’t lie, but that wasn’t a fix to what was niggling in the back of my mind.
Finally, it hit me that I needed to get out and clear my head properly. My attempt in doing so last night only resulted in answers that raised more questions. Maybe it was time to pay Teneheim another visit.
I scribbled a reply and waited until Miss Magus’ back was turned before I handed it back to her.
‘I need a break. Come out with me after class?’
Kara glanced at me with a sweet smile on her pretty lips and nodded instead of writing back, which was fine with me because Miss Magus had turned back around and was addressing the class as a whole. What about, I didn’t know, so I was thankful that the bell chimed within seconds of her launching into whatever speech she was about to get into. One by one, we filed out of the classroom, and Kara and I made a break from the crowds. Matt and Kristen followed suit.
“I’m headed to see Triton,” I told them straightforwardly. “I need some answers to what’s been going on and some ease of mind.”
Matt shrugged. “Whatever you have to do. Just don’t overdo you, you know?”
I appreciated the concern from Matt. It was refreshing that we were rebuilding the friendship we had when we were children.
“I promise,” I chuckled a little.
“I’m going with him,” Kara piped up before they could question her. “Since I was at the scene last night, maybe I can help shed some light on what happened.”
“You don’t have to defend yourself,” Kristen rolled her eyes with a playful smirk. “Like Matt said, do what you have to do. You know where to find us.”
“Thank you,” Kara and I replied in unison, then waved and walked off to meet with Triton in his office.
Once Kara and I were alone, and by alone, I meant not in immediate earshot of anyone, our hands slipped together, and I let my shoulders sag a little in relief. This was nice for a change, just her and me. Not that I didn’t want Matt and Kristen’s company, but knowing that Kara was beside me was a comfort that I couldn’t quite describe.
“So, who was the girl you were with last night?” Kara inquired.
“Margo Wicker,” I replied immediately, a smile on my lips. “She’s a journalist for ALX22.”
“The hostage that Diamond took a few weeks ago?” she asked, and I nodded to confirm.
“One and the same. I promised her an exclusive interview in exchange for information about what really happened that night in the bank.”
“Is that all?” Kara pressed with a teasing lilt to her tone. “Seems like there was a little more than that when you said goodbye to her.”
“She’s cute,” I readily admitted. “I think you would all like her.”
“I agree.” Kara giggled. “She is really cute.”
“I’m going to tell Andie that she’s been ousted by a new girl in your eyes,” I joked.
Kara wasn’t afraid of my fake threat, however. “Go ahead. I’m sure she would agree with my taste.”
We both outright laughed at that, and it was just the kind of medicine I needed to help ease some of the tension from my chest.
“Also, are we not going to talk about the fact that you now have a talking cat?” Kara’s eyes were alight with amusement, and I couldn’t help the grin that pulled on my lips.
“Was he a good boy while I was gone?” I asked. “And no, I’m still getting over that I have a talking cat now.”
“He was fine,” Kara divulged as she swung our hands lightly between us. “He’s actually very intelligent. I feel like he and Eric could have conversations for hours.”
“Finally, someone to keep up with him.” I grinned. Eric would definitely be interested in the stuff that’s been going down here. Maybe I’d take some time out soon and give him a call. He’d probably have a good bit of information given his love for knowledge and history.
We had reached the door to Triton’s office only to discover that he was already standing outside. It was as though he had been waiting for Kara and me. He turned to us with a bright smile and greeted us warmly.
“Nick, Kara, good to see you this afternoon.”
“Hello, sir,” we replied in unison.
“What brings you over to this side of the Academy?” he lightly joked. “The dining hall is in the other direction.”
“Sir, I was wondering if you would be willing to escort us to Teneheim?” I questioned. “I could use another meditation session and having you there last time was a big help.”
A soft, knowing look crossed Triton’s features, and he nodded without hesitation. “I can grant this request. Kara, you will be joining us?”
“If that is all right, sir,” she replied quietly. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“Nonsense,” Triton’s tone became slightly more serious. “You are more than welcome to join us. In fact, I think it would be a wise idea that you do. Perhaps you will be able to gain something from this trip as well.”
I bowed my head in gratitude. “Thank you, sir.”
“Think nothing of it, Nick,” Triton nodded warmly. “Come along. Let’s make haste before anyone realizes we’re gone. I swear this place would fall down around us if I weren’t here to hold it up.”
Kara and I chuckled at that. It was sort of true. No one really knew how to handle themselves when Triton was away, even if it was for a call into the city. I assumed there was some kind of chain of command that the Academy fell onto the shoulders of while he was away, but it never occurred to me whom that might have been. If I had to take a stab in the dark
, I would say it was Judgment now that Amazoness was over on Inferno Island.
We followed Triton to the same garage that I’d left with Judgment and Kristen from the night we first encountered Diamond, and he drove us to the outskirts where the before fabled Teneheim lied. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I felt more at peace than I had in weeks. There was definitely something about the atmosphere that eased my mind. Admittedly, I had slacked off in keeping up with this routine, but that was because I felt like I needed to be here to get the same uplifting reaction that I had last time.
I climbed up the hill, Triton and Kara following alongside me, and felt the tension in my bones start to wither away as soon as I saw the wildflowers. A light smile curled on my lips. I could breathe again. I sat down and took my usual meditation position, legs crossed and back straight, allowing energy to flow freely through my body.
The grass shifted beside me, and Kara sat close. Her eyes sparkled with wonder as she looked out over the field, and I imagined that I had a similar reaction when I first took in the beauty of Teneheim. I closed my eyes, relaxed with her by my side as contentment washed over me. Silence hung in the air for a brief moment before Triton spoke.
“You have concerns,” he stated.
“I do,” I confessed. “They’ve been weighing me down, and I’ve been unable to concentrate.
“Talk them out to me,” Triton instructed calmly.
So I did. I expressed my concerns regarding this triple triad tattoo and how these different villains were connected. I divulged my fear that this all had something to do with my father’s presence in the city, and I confessed that I was worried about the lack of information on Carter and what they were up to.
Triton hummed. “Those are all very good things to be concerned about, Nick. Your intuition on matters is astounding.”
