Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2) (25 page)

Aaron could see the tension in Neriah’s strong, broad shoulders. He could read the heartbreak in his eyes, the anger in the tight line of his jaw.

“The one thing that was repeated in almost every sermon of Aric was his most famous saying: nothing is more powerful than blood.” Then, quietly, Neriah added, “And everyone knows our powers are our life-source. Power flows in our veins; it’s in our very blood.”

It all fell together with a click, like the missing piece of a puzzle that Aaron didn’t even realise he was putting together in his mind.

“That’s it,” Aaron breathed. “
That’s
why Hadrian turned into a vamage.” He looked up to find confirmation in Neriah’s pained eyes.
Nothing is more powerful than blood.
That’s what Naina had said too, and that mages never understood that. Aaron stepped closer. “Hadrian became a vamage so he could drink blood – blood that holds the power of a mage.”

Neriah nodded. “He took Aric’s words and twisted them, believing that Aric was hinting at a way to gain all four powers, rather than preaching about the importance of family, of brotherhood. He became a vamage, gave up his purity – put that down as the ‘price’ he had to pay to become, what he believed, was a mage in its truest form. A mage with all four powers, all four legacies.” He turned back to Skyler. “When he attacked James, he didn’t just take James’s life, he took his power, his legacy from him too.”

Skyler stared at Neriah with a broken expression. “You knew?” he asked. “All this time, you knew I didn’t have the legacy?” His eyes, which had filled with tears, blazed with anger. “The legacy never passed to my father after Uncle James died. It never came to me because
Hadrian
had taken it. You knew that and you still let me believe I was the legacy holder?”

“You’re the rightful owner of that legacy,” Neriah said. “I’ve been trying to get you back your birthright.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Skyler asked. “Why?” he screamed and his rage kicked dust swirls up into the air.

But Neriah didn’t use his element in retaliation. He just stared at Skyler with guilt-ridden eyes.

“I hoped I would never have to,” he replied. “I wanted to get to Hadrian and take back your birthright before you came of age and realised your legacy was missing.”

Skyler shook his head, fury emanating from him in waves. The air around them heated up, making prickling sweat gather on their skin.

“I trusted you.” Skyler hissed the words. “I believed you. I believed that my core wasn’t strong enough, that my legacy was lying dormant inside me. I worked day and night to get better! I trained, I fought. I went out on
every
damn hunt, all of it to make my core stronger, to get my legacy to awaken.” His eyes blazed with anger. “And all that time, you knew I didn’t have the legacy. You lied to me!”

“Skyler–” Neriah reached for him but Skyler shoved his hand away, stepping back.

“Why?” he bellowed. “Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Neriah faltered and Skyler’s slitted eyes widened.

“You thought I would leave,” he said in realisation. Neriah didn’t say anything, but again, his silence confirmed Skyler’s accusation. “You thought I would go to Hadrian?” Skyler asked. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Many before you have left to go to Hadrian,” Neriah said. “How could I be sure that you wouldn’t too?”

Skyler was staring at him with disgust. “I wouldn’t align myself with a
demon
!” he spat.

“How do you think Hadrian got so many mages to turn?” Neriah asked. “How do you think his army of vamages came about?” Now anger was replacing the guilt and Neriah once again looked like the fearless leader of the mages. “I kept the truth I learnt about Aric and his purposeful splitting of the powers to myself, but Hadrian didn’t. He tells mages they can have all four powers. He turns them using greed, promising them what they can’t have as mages. That’s why we’ve lost so many. Who do you know Skyler, that wouldn’t give everything they’ve got to have full power over
all
four elements?”

Skyler didn’t say anything, but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

“After Hadrian killed James, I told Chris and your father about what Aric had done,” Neriah said to Skyler. “All the Elementals knew the truth and all of us decided to keep it a secret, so no mage would turn, like Hadrian did. So no other mage would be tempted to forsake their purity in their greed for power.”

“I would never give up my purity,” Skyler said. “If you knew me at all, you would know I would rather die than turn into a vamage.” He started walking away.

“Skyler–” Neriah called to him.

“I don’t know what’s more insulting,” Skyler said, turning to look at him. “To know that the mage I followed like a father lied to me all my life, or to know he thought so little of me that he believed I would choose to become a
demon
if he told me the truth.”

Neriah didn’t say anything. Skyler walked away. He pulled off the ivory coat, the thing that marked him as the legacy holder for the element of Air, and dropped it to the ground. He didn’t look back even once.

“Sky,” Ella yelled. She ran after him and picked up his coat. “Sky? Sky, wait! Please.”

Neriah remained where he was, staring at Skyler’s retreating form, watching Ella chase after him. He took in a deep breath and turned to face the only two Elementals left. He tried to smile at Aaron, but it came across as little more than a grimace.

“We should set up the Gate,” he said. “This one should be a lot more stronger, with two legacy holders setting it up.”

Aaron realised that all the times Skyler had set up Gates, they hadn’t been as strong as everyone thought. Skyler was an Elemental, the last Avira, but he wasn’t the legacy holder.

Chris made to follow after Neriah but stopped when Aaron didn’t move.

“Aaron?” he called. “Come on.”

Aaron shook his head. After everything that had happened, this was the last thing anyone wanted to hear, but Aaron didn’t have a choice. “You don’t need me to set up the Gate,” he said to Neriah. “Not if you want it set up by two legacy holders.”

Neriah frowned, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked.

Aaron took in a steadying breath. “I mean,” he started in a quiet voice. “I’m not the legacy holder, Dad. You are.”

23

Dangerous Plans

“Are you certain about this?”

“Yes, sir, completely certain.”

Hadrian sat back in his seat, brow furrowed in thought. “Then we can’t waste another moment.”

Sitting at his left, Machado inclined his head. “What would you like us to do?”

Hadrian didn’t speak right away. He tapped his fingers on the rich mahogany table at which he was sitting. “Get together a team,” he said. “I want his every move watched. Where he goes, who he meets. I want every minute of his existence under surveillance.”

“Yes, sir,” Machado replied.

“Don’t underestimate him,” Hadrian warned. “Raoul may be a Lycan, but he’s no fool. And if what you’ve said is true, and Raoul wants to find the Blades of Aric, then he’ll put his full force into tracking them down. If he gets to them, he’ll block access to them.”

“We have the location of the Blade of Adams narrowed down to one of four possible places,” Machado reported. “Both the Blades of Aedus and Afton are with their legacy holders and so are safe from Raoul.” His eyes darted to the boy sitting at Hadrian’s right hand. “But it would help if
all
of us knew where the Blade of Avira was being kept.”

Up until now, Kyran was putting on a good show of acting oblivious to the meeting, but he couldn’t quite hold back his smirk at Machado’s last remark.

Hadrian turned his head to look at his son and smiled. “Kyran?”

Kyran lifted his head and met Machado’s eyes. “It’s safe,” he said. “When it’s time to use the Blade, I can easily get to it. That’s all you need to know.”

Machado’s carefully arranged expression slipped and his annoyance surfaced. “If you can’t trust your own, Kyran–”

“You lot aren’t
my own
,” Kyran interrupted. “And the only one who is, already knows the location.”

Machado looked to Hadrian, to see the leader of the vamages give a small shrug. “He wants to keep it a secret,” he said.

Under the table, Machado’s hands curled into fists. “With all due respect, sir,” he started, “this isn’t a matter of child’s play, where you indulge your son by keeping his
secret.
” His glittery blue eyes flashed with anger. “This is a matter of security. The Blades of Aric are a very real, very
dangerous
, threat and treating them as anything less is–”

“I know what the Blades of Aric are and what they are capable of,” Hadrian cut in. “The one who holds the legacies knows the location of the Blades. That’s all that matters. You don’t have to fret over it.”

Machado lowered his head but not before giving Kyran another hateful glower. Kyran only smirked back.

“What is the situation with the mages?” Hadrian asked.

Machado dutifully proceeded to give him the update. Kyran went back to ignoring the meeting. He already knew what Machado was going to report – Neriah was on the move, Salvador was gathering Hunters, Lurkers had been dispatched all over the realm and Kyran was pretty certain Neriah was still dragging Aaron around in the hopes that he would claim the Blade of Adams and join the war.

Kyran forced out a breath. He had thought Aaron would be safe after he returned to Marwa. He had hoped Aaron had pulled out of the fight for good; that he wasn’t going to take part in the war. But seeing him with the rest of the Hunters the day before killed that hope. Aaron had come to protect the Blade of Avira. He was still involved and Kyran wasn’t sure what he could do to prevent that.

“...attack on Salvador.”

Kyran jerked his head up, catching the last of Machado’s words. “What?” he asked.

Machado and Hadrian turned to look at Kyran. Machado tiredly repeated, “We are ready for the attack on Salvador.”

“Wait.” Kyran sat up in his chair. “You want to lead an attack on Salvador?” he asked.

Machado looked to Hadrian before turning back. “Am I not saying it clearly enough?”

Kyran’s jaw tightened. “Forget it,” he stated. “There will be no attack.”

Machado frowned. “What?” he asked.

“We’re not taking Salvador,” Kyran said.

Hadrian turned in his chair, his narrowed hazel eyes on his son.

“And if I ask why not?” Machado enquired.

“I’ll tell you it’s because I’m saying so,” Kyran replied. “For you that should be enough.”

“What about me?” Hadrian asked. “Do I get more of an explanation?”

Kyran looked at Hadrian, but dropped his gaze quickly. “There’s no need to attack Salvador, not yet,” he said.

“Not yet?” Hadrian asked. “So, when do you suggest?”

“When the entire city isn’t filled with
Hunters
,” Kyran replied tersely.

“We have the advantage of numbers,” Hadrian said.

“Not necessarily – you have no idea how many Neriah has,” Kyran argued. “I spent a year with them and I don’t have a clue how many Hunters there are in total. We’d be going in blind.”

“I have ways to find out that information,” Hadrian said.

Kyran paused. “I know you do,” he said. “But Salvador’s not worth the risk.”

“Salvador is the city that holds what I want,” Hadrian said. “And on top of that, it’s Neriah’s city. It’s the sanctuary he built in response to me.” His eyes darkened but the gold in his eyes shimmered. “Naturally, I want it in ruins.”

Kyran’s expression gave away his unease.

“I think your son may have to sit this one out, sir,” Machado said with a sly grin. “It seems attacking the place he called home for almost a year is going to be difficult for him.”

Kyran glowered at Machado. “If it’s my father’s wish to have Salvador destroyed then I will tear the city to pieces myself.” He turned to meet Hadrian’s pleased eyes. “But if you want to hurt Neriah, then Salvador has to remain untouched, at least for now. Let Neriah have his little sanctuary. Once all the other cities are ours, we’ll take Salvador from him.” He smiled. “Keep the best for last, father.”

Hadrian took a moment to study his son. “We’ll leave Salvador for the time being,” he said. “But I like the idea of keeping the best for last. The City of Salvador, however, isn’t close to being the best in the realm.”

He turned to Machado to discuss the remaining points of their meeting, but Kyran couldn’t focus on anything that was being said. He had bought Salvador a little time, but he had to act fast, before his loyalty to his father made him do what he didn’t dare even imagine.

***

Sitting at their favourite spot in the City of Salvador – at the bank of the lake – Aaron and the twins got the chance to do what they hadn’t been able to do for a while: catch up.

“She said what?” Sam asked with a frown. “How many battles are the mages planning to fight?”

“Naina didn’t say anything about the rest of the mages,” Aaron explained. “She only said that I have another battle to fight.”

“Why is that?” Rose asked. “Why is it just you? I thought this war affects all of the mages?”

“It does,” Aaron replied. “But I got the impression from Naina that this fight was more...personal. She said I had to focus on fighting this other battle or I would lose more than I can bear.”

Rose looked worried.

“She sounds like a regular ray of sunshine,” Sam said.

“She wasn’t exactly helpful,” Aaron said. “In fact, she was a little annoying.”

Sam snorted. “I’ll say. What did she call you again?”

“A web,” Aaron replied. “Whatever that means.”

“I’d have said you were more of a thorn in the backside.” Sam shrugged. “But whatever.”

Aaron punched him on the shoulder and Sam chuckled.

Rose shook her head, deep in thought. “I don’t get why Neriah would send you to get advice from a little girl,” she said to Aaron.

“She was young but she knew what she was talking about,” Aaron admitted. “She knew I didn’t have the legacy. She knew that my parents didn’t want me involved in the war.” He shifted uncomfortably, thinking about what Naina had said about Kyran.

He’s not your friend, Aaron.

His heart clenched tightly. She was warning him. By her own admission, she knew everything, so she would know if Kyran was a friend or if he was the enemy. Aaron tried. He tried with every fibre of his being to believe Naina, to take her words as nothing but the honest truth, but he couldn’t. Every time Aaron had found himself in trouble, Kyran had come and helped him. He had always been a friend, even when he was supposed to be an enemy.

“Hello?”

Aaron snapped out of his daze to find Sam waving a hand in front of his face.

“That was some heavy thinking,” Sam said with a half-smile. “What else did the little girl say?”

Aaron shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “That was about it.”

Aaron had told Sam and Rose everything about his meeting with Naina, from where it took place to every word she said, except for the bit about Kyran. Aaron didn’t want to share that with anyone, not even his best friends. So he told his friends the same thing he had said to his dad and Neriah: he didn’t have the legacy. It was still with Chris.

Keeping his word to Neriah, Aaron also didn’t repeat what Neriah had revealed about Aric splitting the powers on purpose.

“So your legacy is still with your dad, right?” Sam asked, after a few silent moments.

“Yeah,” Aaron said.

“Does that mean you will get it when you turn nineteen?” Sam asked.

Aaron shifted again. According to Naina, he would get the legacy when he showed where his loyalty lied. He felt a stab of anger at the thought. He was with the mages, he wanted to fight against Hadrian. Why was his loyalty called into question? Just because he’d instinctively tried to help an outnumbered Kyran?

“I don’t know,” Aaron said, “I don’t think so. I think Dad’s still got the legacy ’cause he’s got a stronger core than me. If I can get my core stronger, then maybe the legacy will pass on to me. If not then I’ll only get it if...” He trailed off, not able to say the words.

Sam didn’t need him to. He understood Aaron would get the legacy if his dad died. Legacies strived to survive, so no matter how weak Aaron’s core was, if he was the only surviving Adams, he would get the legacy after Chris died.

“I hope you never get it, mate,” Sam said.

Aaron looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“Your mum and dad seem happier,” Rose said. “Now that your dad is the legacy holder, does that mean he’s going to use the Blade of Adams?”

Aaron nodded. “I heard Dad and Neriah making plans. I think Dad’s leaving in a few hours.”

“So you’re not going to be fighting?” Sam asked.

Aaron let out a sigh and leant back. The air was getting cooler now. The beginning of May had brought colder days. The sun still warmed Aaron’s face, though. He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“After I explained to Neriah and Dad that I wasn’t the legacy holder, I told them I was still going to fight, Blade or no Blade.” He paused. “But Neriah said if I can’t use the Blade of Adams, then he won’t let me join the fight. He said I didn’t have the necessary training to take part in the war, and it seems no one has the time to teach me.”

Rose watched Aaron for a moment before saying, “Maybe it’s for the best.”

Aaron looked at her. “I thought we’d all agreed that we were fighting against Hadrian, against the vamages?”

“Not all fights have to be on the battlefield,” Rose said.

The sound of soft footsteps made all three turn around. They saw Armana making her way over towards them, both hands held out before her as she judged her steps. All three quickly stood up and hurried over to the Empath.

“Armana?” Aaron called, getting close enough to hold on to her hand. “Are you okay?” he asked, seeing her usually pleasant expression was replaced with anxious concern.

“Does anyone know where Skyler is?” she asked.

Aaron felt sorry for her. The worry looked too heavy on Armana’s delicate features.

“I’m sorry, Armana,” he said.

Armana looked crestfallen. “He’s hurting, I can feel it,” she said. “I just wish he would come back. I’m scared he’ll do something stupid.”

Aaron could easily see it too. Skyler needed very little provocation on most days to pick a fight, but when he was already raging he would need almost next to no excuse to get into it with anyone. If he went looking for something to vent his fury on, he could very easily get hurt. But Aaron wasn’t going to tell Armana that. She looked worried enough.

“I’m sure he’s just sitting in a pub somewhere, getting as much alcohol into him as possible,” he said.

Armana paled. “That’s just going to make him even more ready for a fight,” she said and her eyes brimmed with frightened tears.

Aaron shared a panicked look with Sam.

“Here.” Sam wrapped an arm around Armana. “Why don’t we go and see Mother Mary? I’m sure she’ll know what to do.” He looked at Aaron and whispered under his breath, “And say.”

Aaron kept hold of Armana’s hand, and both he and Sam led her towards the Stove. Sam turned to see his sister standing where he left her.