Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2) (24 page)

Aaron pulled the trigger and his gun clicked. Horror filled him as he realised he had run out of bullets. Aaron didn’t have the time to waste on it. He tossed the gun away and pulled out a throwing knife from his belt. He saw the glint in the Orc’s eyes as it surveyed Aaron’s choice of weaponry and dismissed it. It slashed its sword through the air and Aaron had to jump back to avoid being sliced in half.

Flicking his wrist just like he had been taught, Aaron threw the knife. It spun in the air before hitting the Orc in the chest. The beast paused for a moment before wrenching the knife out and dropping it to the ground. But in that time, Aaron had another three blades in hand. He threw each one at the approaching Orc until the beast swayed on its thick, clumsy feet. Aaron pulled out another two blades but just as he raised his arm to throw them, a flash of silver – quick as lightning – grazed his arm.

Aaron dropped the knives and staggered back with a hiss, clutching his bleeding arm. He turned to look to the side where the attack came from, and saw another Orc grunting at him, sword in hand. Aaron threw himself to the ground to avoid the swing of its blade. By the time Aaron clambered to his feet, a third Orc had joined the first two. Aaron’s hand groped his belt for another blade but he couldn’t find one. The Orcs were moving towards him, forcing Aaron to step back.

The continuous rumble, that reminded Aaron of a freight train, got louder as he neared the edge of the cliff. Tremendous wind whipped at his back, ruffling his hair and clothes. Aaron knew he was cornered. He had nowhere to go. Another step back and he would fall off the cliff. The three Orcs knew it too, as they paused briefly to grin at Aaron with mouthfuls of sharp, pointy teeth.

Aaron didn’t have any more weapons and his powers wouldn’t work being so close to one of Aric’s Blades. Aaron’s panic made it impossible to think, to figure out what he should do. He didn’t dare look away from the Orcs to search for his parents, for Neriah. The Orcs came at Aaron as one, swinging their swords high above their heads. Instinct made Aaron raise his hands to shield himself.

A loud clang resonated in the air as the swords hit a pair of crossed ones. Aaron lowered his hands, staring at the boy that had stepped in front of him to protect him from the Orcs. Aaron didn’t need to see his face to know who it was. Even the long red coat with an inverted V studded in silver on the back wasn’t needed. Aaron knew with one glance – it was Kyran.

Aaron stood rooted to the spot in sheer disbelief, as Kyran held back the Orcs with his twin swords. Kyran’s shoulders lifted and he threw the Orcs back with a mighty push. With a sword in each hand, Kyran battled the demons, easily disarming them. He stabbed one and kicked the other before slashing his sword across the Orc’s torso. He swung both swords up and back to impale the third Orc behind him. With all three Orcs dead and on the ground, Kyran turned to meet Aaron’s surprised eyes.

Being this close to the whirlwind, Aaron wouldn’t have heard anything Kyran said, but Kyran’s lips didn’t move other than to curl upwards into a smile. He winked at Aaron and turned, twisting both bloodstained swords in his hands before heading to the heart of the battle.

That’s when Aaron noticed that Kyran wasn’t the only newcomer – vamages were also there. Everywhere Aaron looked, all he saw were dark-clothed vamages, attacking the Orcs with their swords and guns. The mages looked thrown – Aaron saw Ryan and Omar pause to stare, their eyes as wide as their open mouths, before recommencing their battle against the Orcs.

Amongst the Hunters, Aaron saw his mum. She met his eyes with horror and he saw her scream his name, although he couldn’t hear it. Her terror snapped Aaron out of his stunned daze and he realised he was just standing there, at the edge of the cliff, defenceless. He swooped down and picked up one of the fallen Orcs’ curved blades. It was so heavy, Aaron had to use both hands to lift it up.

He hadn’t acted a moment too soon. An Orc came charging at him, forcing Aaron to raise the sword and block the attack. The force of the hit almost made Aaron’s knees buckle. He felt the clang run down his arms, spiking pain in his shoulders. The Orc pulled back and swung again. Aaron dodged this time and ducked to the side. The missed strike made the Orc tumble forward and fall clean off the edge of the cliff.

Aaron stood up to find his mum at his side and quickly grabbing hold of his arm. She pulled him away from the edge, her gun in hand, but the Orcs were busy fighting the vamages. Aaron couldn’t help but stare at the strange sight of mages and vamages working together to fight another demonic army. The vamages and mages put together easily outnumbered the hideous Orcs. Aaron spotted the blue-eyed vamage – Machado – slicing his way through a crowd of Orcs. A short distance away, Neriah was doing the same.

Kate guided Aaron back to Chris and his parents stood on either side of him, protecting him. But Aaron’s gaze was on Kyran, watching him battle the Orcs in quick, smooth moves. He ducked the retaliating attacks with practised ease, swinging both swords, catching any and all Orcs that got too close. Across from him, Skyler was dealing out similar damage, firing his gun with one hand and swinging his sword in the other.

Both boys met the other’s eye and their fighting increased with vigour. Kyran was slowly making his way through the crowd, dropping the growling beasts to the ground. Skyler was doing the same, until one Orc caught him, knocking the sword out of his hand. Skyler ducked before pulling out his second gun and firing a stream of bullets into the Orc.

Kyran fought the onslaught of Orcs, stabbing one of his blades into an Orc and leaving it there, pulling out his pistol instead. He fired shot after shot, halting the approaching Orcs before swinging his other sword to cut through them.

Both Kyran and Skyler got closer and closer, until they were but a metre apart. Kyran plunged his sword into the last Orc before twisting around and pulling out his second pistol. Skyler shot down his last Orc and raised both guns to aim at Kyran, just as he swerved around to face Skyler with his twin pistols locked and aimed right back at him.

Watching them, Aaron wasn’t sure which one would pull the trigger first. But before either boy acted, a large crowd of Orcs came charging at them, from both sides. Kyran and Skyler shared a look before both turned around simultaneously and began firing at the Orcs. Standing back to back, Kyran and Skyler sent bullet after bullet into the Orcs, dropping them to the ground.

Aaron watched as the two Elementals easily fought the crowd of Orcs, not allowing even one to get close enough to attack. They slipped empty magazines out and replaced them with fully loaded ones in the blink of an eye. The popping sound of gunshots filled the air against the background rumble of the whirlwind. Aaron was vaguely aware of his parents joining the fight, firing shots at the Orcs, but his eyes stayed on Kyran and Skyler.

The crowd of Orcs had thinned, leaving bloodied bodies on the ground. Kyran and Skyler floored the last of the Orcs attacking them and immediately turned around, their guns once again aimed at each other.

For the longest time, neither boy did or said anything.

Then Skyler started in his usual drawl. “You know, I would have thought you’d have used better demon scum as a diversion than Orcs,” he said to Kyran. “I’m disappointed with your creativity, Scorcher.”

Kyran smirked. “You think I let them in?”

“You dropped the Gate,” Skyler accused. “You knew we would come, so you let this filth in to distract us.”

Kyran laughed. “Is that so?” he asked. “So tell me, Skyler, if I’m the one who let the Orcs in, why am I here fighting them?”

“You double-crossed them,” Skyler replied. “It’s in your blood, after all.”

Kyran’s eyes darkened but his smirk was firmly in place. “You don’t know anything about my blood,” he said. Then, with a shake of his head, he added, “I didn’t drop the Gate.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Skyler asked.

“The same thing you are,” Kyran said. “I’m here to protect Aric’s Blade.”

Skyler bristled at the mention of the sword. “Protect it? You want to protect the Blade from its rightful holder?”

Kyran smiled and his eyes seemed to brighten. “Alright then, legacy holder. Why don’t you go down there and take the mighty Blade in hand? What are you still doing up here?”

Skyler smirked. “I don’t need the Blade of Avira to deal with the likes of you.”

Kyran chuckled. “What you need is to wake up and see the lies you’ve been fed.”

Skyler let out a scathing laugh. “So says the master of lies.”

Kyran smirked. “I never lied. I just made sure you lot asked all the wrong questions.” He tilted his head and surveyed Skyler with great amusement. “I’ll admit, though, I enjoyed making an idiot out of you. Not that it took that much effort.”

“What about Zulf?” Skyler asked.

Kyran’s smile fell.

“Did you enjoy making an idiot out of him too?” Skyler asked. “He was supposed to be your friend. I actually believed you gave a crap about him.” He shook his head slowly. “You sabotaged that Q-Zone. You’re the reason it wouldn’t lock.” His gaze was an icy blue. “You got Zulf killed.”

“I had
nothing
to do with that,” Kyran spat and the guns in his hands shook with his anger.

“What would Zulf have thought if he were alive to see who you really are?” Skyler asked. “I guess you did care about Zulf in your own twisted way. You killed him before he could see your truth and be disappointed in–”

Skyler was cut off when Kyran pulled back and swung his pistol at Skyler, knocking him bodily aside. Skyler staggered but regained his balance almost immediately. He turned and fired, aiming at Kyran’s head. Kyran dived out of the way and the battle that had come to a standstill started back with vigour.

Aaron realised then, that all the while Skyler and Kyran were talking, the fight between the mages, vamages and remaining Orcs was still going on. His mum and dad were still by his side, but their guns were lowered, their eyes on Kyran too, watching his fight with Skyler.

Kyran twisted out of the way of Skyler’s bullets, retaliating with his own shots, which Skyler dodged.

“You made a mistake coming here!” Skyler called to Kyran. “You’re not leaving today.”

“Why?” Kyran asked. “You want me to stay for a sleepover?”

Skyler shot three times, all of which Kyran dodged with a smile.

“You’re dead, Scorcher,” Skyler threatened. “I’m going to kill you myself.”

“Then I hope you brought a bullet with my name on it,” Kyran replied. “That’s the only way
you
can kill
me
.”

It was Skyler’s turn to smirk. “Believe me. I’ll be the one to shoot you between the eyes with a personalised bullet!”

Kyran chuckled. “Big aspirations for an Avira.”

Skyler lost it and shot with both guns. His anger cost him his aim and Kyran easily avoided the attack.

Their duelling had led them to the other side of the cliff. As Aaron watched, Skyler got closer and closer, driving Kyran nearer to the edge. Aaron found himself reaching to his empty holster, looking for his gun. Naina’s words, spoken not more than an hour or two before, came back to him.

He is not with the mages, despite being one himself. So if you are fighting for him, you’re not fighting for the mages, you’re fighting against them.

Right now, Aaron found he didn’t care about sides. He just didn’t want Kyran getting hurt.

But before he could do anything, it looked like Skyler had run out of bullets, because he threw down one of his guns. The next moment, he tackled Kyran, throwing himself at the other boy. Aaron could only watch in horrified disbelief as Skyler knocked into Kyran – and both boys fell over the edge of the cliff, disappearing from sight.

22

Secrets

Aaron found himself running, bolting towards the edge of the cliff where Kyran and Skyler had gone over.

He heard his mum and dad calling his name, hot at his heels, but he didn’t stop. A few others had left the dwindling battle with the Orcs and were also racing to the edge to see what happened to the two duelling Elementals.

The sound of the whirlwind holding the Blade of Avira deafened Aaron as he got closer to the edge. Adrenaline pumped inside him, his heart hammered against his ribcage and his mouth went dry at the thought of Kyran dead.

The moment Aaron got close enough to the spot from which Kyran and Skyler fell, he saw, with tremendous relief, a steep hill leading all the way down. There was even a dusty pathway, allowing a person to climb down from the cliff to the ground below. Aaron caught sight of Kyran and Skyler at the bottom, picking themselves up after their tumbling fall.

Aaron’s parents, Ella, Ryan and a few other Hunters gathered around Aaron, breathing sighs of relief at the sight of Skyler on his feet. The moment the two boys had straightened up, they had their guns aimed at each other again, though apparently Kyran had lost one in the fall.

Aaron saw Ella take Ryan by the arm to get his attention. She pointed to the hill before moving towards it. Ryan followed after her, climbing down the steep incline with the rest of the mages surging after him, all going to Skyler’s aid. Aaron moved too but was quickly grabbed by his mum. Aaron pulled his arm free, turning to stare at her with fierce eyes. He shook his head, signalling he wasn’t going to stop, before climbing down the hill, pursued by his dad and mum.

They were almost at the bottom when Aaron looked across to see Kyran and Skyler, standing impossibly close to the ferocious whirlwind. The wind was so strong, it bellowed through their hair and made the ends of their coats flap like frantic wings.

Both Kyran and Skyler stood facing each other’s gun, but neither fired a shot. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Kyran dropped his pistol. Aaron could see Skyler’s frown. Even he was thrown by the strange action. For a heartbeat, Aaron thought Kyran was surrendering, seeing as he was about to be surrounded by Hunters.

Then Kyran smirked and his eyes darkened. His hand shot outward, towards the spiralling vortex of air. From the depth of the whirlwind, the Blade of Avira flew out and landed in Kyran’s hand.

The whirlwind died instantly, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

Aaron’s breath choked in his chest. He stared at Kyran, waiting for him to drop the sword and clutch his hand, screaming in pain. But it never happened. Kyran stood with the Blade of Avira in his grip. The magnificent sword gleamed in the light, the engraved symbols shone brightly, as if lit by the glow of the moon itself.

Every eye was on Kyran, staring in utter disbelief. The Hunters climbing down the hill had come to a standstill. Kyran was wielding the Blade of Avira, despite not being an Avira himself. How was that possible? Why hadn’t the Blade rejected him?

Everyone’s surprise was evident in their open mouths and wide eyes, but the one whose shock was palpable was Skyler. He staggered forward a step, his eyes filled with indignant rage, his gun lowered in his stupor.

“How?” he roared. “How are you holding
my
Blade?”

Kyran smirked and gave the sword a playful twist in his hand.

“This?” he asked with exaggerated innocence. “Is this yours?” His smile was vicious and cruel. “Then come and get her, Avira, if you can
handle
her.”

Skyler lost it. He dived for Kyran, his pistol aimed once again.

“Sky, NO!” Ella screamed but it was too late.

Kyran pulled back his arm and swung the Blade. A burst of energy, that held the power of a mighty hurricane, exploded around Kyran, knocking everyone back. Aaron was actually propelled into the air before he came tumbling down to land at the foot of the hill. The fall knocked the breath out of him. The rest of the Hunters landed in a heap around him, along with Aaron’s parents.

Aaron turned his head to see Skyler had been thrown halfway across the clearing. Aaron looked back at Kyran, who stood there with the Blade in hand. His green eyes were on something on top of the cliff. Craning his neck, Aaron followed his line of sight to see Neriah and the rest of the Hunters, standing at the edge, gaping at Kyran.

Kyran held out the sword for all to see and recognise.

“Your lies are starting to unravel, Neriah!” he called. “It’s time you told everyone the truth!”

The Hunters around Neriah aimed their guns at Kyran. A swipe of the mighty Blade and the crowd were thrown back by the force of a tornado. Many scrambled forward on their hands and knees, guns in shaky hands, and tried to take aim again. But it was no use. Kyran was gone. A moment later, so were the vamages.

***

“What the hell is going on?”

Skyler was beside himself. He had a nasty-looking cut on his temple, which leaked a thin trail of blood down the side of his face, but he didn’t even seem to realise it. He was lost in his anger, demanding answers from the oldest Elemental, as they all were once again gathered at the clifftop.

“How can he wield
my
Blade?” Skyler thundered.

“Sky, calm down,” Ella said, reaching out for him.

Skyler pushed her away, his fury-filled eyes on Neriah. “He
took
my
Blade
! That sword is mine by birthright. How the hell can he touch it and not have the power drained out of him?”

Neriah stood in silence, head dropped and eyes narrowed. He was working things out in his mind, completely ignoring Skyler and the shell-shocked crowd that had gathered around him.

“Neriah!” Skyler cried. “Answer me! What’s going on?”

Neriah raised his head at last and looked over at Skyler. He took in a deep breath.

“We have to set up the Gate,” he said. “We’ll talk once we get back–”

“NO!” Skyler raged. “We’ll talk here! Right now!”

“Sky.” Ella grabbed his arm in a tight grip. “Get a hold of yourself.”

Skyler didn’t fight to get free. His eyes didn’t waver from Neriah. The usually cold, arrogant and proud Skyler Avira was close to breaking point, and as much as Aaron had once wanted to see Skyler knocked down a peg or two, he found he couldn’t stand the sight of him like this.

Neriah glanced to the crowd of Hunters around them. “We need to set up the Gate,” he repeated. “The rest of you keep watch, in case we get any more unwanted guests.”

The crowd obediently moved away. Kate shared a look with her husband but followed the rest of the Hunters, leaving only Chris, Aaron, Skyler and Ella with Neriah.

Skyler pulled his arm out of Ella’s grip. “How did he do it?” he asked.

“Why are you demanding answers from him?” Ella asked angrily. “What makes you think Neriah knows what’s going on?”

“He knows,” Skyler said, talking to Ella but his bloodshot eyes stayed on Neriah. “He knows what’s going on. I can see it.” He stepped forward, even when Ella tried to pull him back. “Tell me,” he said to Neriah. “Just tell me what’s going on. How can he take my Blade without the legacy?”

“He can’t,” Neriah replied.

Skyler fell silent, blue eyes wide.

“Then how did he do it?” Ella asked, looking as lost as Aaron felt.

Neriah kept his gaze on Skyler and with every passing second, the violet eyes grew more solemn. “Kyran can’t have wielded the Blade of Avira without the legacy for Air,” he said quietly.

Aaron watched as understanding fell over Skyler, making him choke and stagger back a step.

“He...He has my legacy?” Skyler asked.

Neriah didn’t answer, but there was no need. The sheer grief and guilt on his face gave the answer for him.

“How?” Skyler asked and it looked like the shock was either going to kill him or make him go mad. “How can...What the
hell
is going on?”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Ella said.

“Why does that son of a demon have my legacy?” Skyler cried.

Neriah shook his head. “Skyler, I don’t–”

“Tell him, Neriah,” Chris interrupted.

Everyone stopped and turned to look at him, but Chris was staring at Neriah, his expression sombre and pained. “He has a right to know,” he said quietly.

Skyler looked between Chris and Neriah, clearly shocked that Chris – the Elemental missing from their world for nearly the last decade and a half – knew what was going on when he didn’t.

“Tell me what?” Skyler asked, and now Aaron could see the fear on him.

Neriah was staring past Skyler, holding Chris’s eyes. For a heartbeat, no one spoke. They just stood in tense silence. Then Neriah closed his eyes with a defeated sigh.

“He’s right,” he breathed. “You have the right to know what’s going on, Skyler.” He looked at Skyler, Ella and then Aaron. “But what I’m about to tell you stays within the Elemental circle.”

Aaron and Ella nodded, but Skyler stood rigid with tight fists at his side.

Neriah took a moment before turning to look at Skyler. “Kyran has your legacy,” he said, “because Hadrian took it from James before he killed him.”

Skyler reacted like someone had hit him. He flinched back, eyes wide and filled with disbelief.

“That’s impossible!” Ella fought back. “You can’t force anyone to give up their legacy. And Hadrian already had his own legacy. An Elemental can only have power over
one
of the elements.”

Neriah smiled but it was filled with bitter pain.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “An Elemental can have full power over only one element. Mages can use all four elements but there is only one they have a strong affinity for. We can’t have full control over all four elements. It’s not possible, since Aric the Great, married a human, and rendered his offspring with this disadvantage. Our humanity is our weakness. And so on and so on.” He looked from Ella to Skyler. “That’s what we all believe. These are the facts that we are taught, the rules we are brought up with.” He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “It’s not true.” His words were whispered but they rang in everyone’s ears. “None of it is true.”

Ella stepped forward, looking confused and scared. “Neriah, what are you saying?”

“What you’re hearing,” Neriah replied. “Our foremother was a human. We have always thought that was the reason mages can’t have full control of all four elements.” He shook his head. “But it’s not true. Our humanity doesn’t make us weak. It doesn’t stop us from having all four powers.”

“So what does?” Ella asked.

Neriah held her eyes. “Aric,” he said. “He’s the one who split the powers. He
chose
to give one element to each of his eldest four. Afton, Avira, Adams…” He hesitated for a moment before concluding the list. “Aedus. He gave them full power of only one element in the hopes of keeping them together. He thought that by giving his children only one power each, he would keep them forever united in the fight against demons. The Elementals would need one another to stay strong.” He quietened for a moment. “It worked. For centuries, we believed that alone we were but one power, but together, we had the power of four. There was nothing that could stand in the way of the Elementals. We ruled the realm, protected the humans, fought the demons. We won because all four Elementals knew they needed each other to remain strong.” His violet eyes darkened with pain. “Until Hadrian found out what Aric did, and decided our forefather had wronged us, so he set out to correct that mistake.”

“How did Hadrian find out what Aric had done?” Ella asked.

Neriah closed his eyes tightly and brought up a hand to rub at his face. “Because of me,” he said heavily.

Ella gaped at him, in too much shock to say anything.

“It’s a long story,” Neriah said. “One I don’t have the heart to tell.” He looked at his niece. “It was my fault. Hadrian and I were searching for something else when we stumbled across Aric’s secret. We didn’t tell anyone what we had found out,” Neriah said, looking over at Chris. “Not even the other Elementals. We were young at the time and foolish enough to believe that we held some sort of power over the rest by knowing something no one else did.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “If there is anything,
anything
, I regret more than all the other mistakes I’ve made, it’s this. I would give everything I have to go back in time and stop myself and Hadrian from learning what Aric had done.” He dropped his head and, for a moment, he simply stood there, weighed down by guilt and remorse. He straightened up but looked like he was fighting to remain composed.

“Hadrian was adamant that if Aric had split the powers himself, that meant mages were capable of holding all four powers. He was desperate to test his theory, to find a way to return mages to what they were
supposed
to be – beings with the power of all four elements.” He shook his head. “He became obsessed with it. It was all he would talk about, think about. After a few years of struggling to find a way, he gave up. I thought that was the end of it.” His eyes went to Chris and both men shared a look. “But then Hadrian found a reason to go back to his research. He believed that Aric left clues in his sermons, to allow mages to find a way to have all four powers if they were willing to do what was necessary.”