Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2) (32 page)

The mages around Aaron were all throwing out jolts of their power – fireballs, shards of ice that cut like glass, blasts of air – but the vamages stood strong and fought back, while a few continued to push the trees back, trying to clear the way. Aaron’s body was aching, but he took aim again, ready to send more power into the ground to stop the vamages. The forest floor shook, but it wasn’t Aaron’s doing.

Bright headlights appeared from the darkness, accompanied by the roar of several motorbikes rumbling against the earth as they raced closer. Aaron turned and caught the glint of silver on an ivory coat as a bike passed under a lantern, and Aaron’s breath rushed out of him with relief. Skyler was here, and so were the rest of the Hunters.

With a thunderous cry, the Hunters fell head first into the battle. Many jumped off their bikes, others chose to use them to run over vamages. Aaron found Ella by his and Sam’s side in an instant, a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.

Aaron turned his attention to the vamages at the edge of the path. Most were standing ready to fight the Hunters. One vamage, Aaron spotted, was climbing over the last remaining tree to get to the other side. Aaron took off after him.

“Aaron!” Sam cried, chasing him. Ella wasn’t far behind.

Aaron ran straight into the battling crowd of vamages and Hunters. He didn’t pause, not even to catch his breath. He bolted right the way across and climbed over the tree, after the vamage. He tumbled down the hill. Quickly, Aaron picked himself up and peered through the darkness. He caught sight of the vamage scampering off in the distance. Aaron ran after him. The Hub was just a short distance away. He couldn’t let the vamage get to it.

Aaron was running too fast. Even when he saw it, he couldn’t do anything to avoid it. Out from the shadows stepped the vamage, right into Aaron’s path. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Aaron skidded to a halt, but he didn’t have the clarity of mind, or even the time, to duck. The bullet came piercing through the air, aimed at Aaron’s head. Before the bullet could bury a hole in Aaron’s skull, it hit a block of ice that appeared out of nowhere. Aaron stared in shock and terror at the tiny metal bullet trapped in the thick, glass-like ice as it floated before him.

The vamage looked equally shocked, then glanced behind Aaron. An icicle zoomed past Aaron’s ear and stabbed the vamage, straight through the chest. The vamage dropped his gun and staggered back, before falling to the ground. Aaron turned to see Sam and Ella running towards him. Ella had a hand still aimed at the vamage, her grey eyes narrowed with fury.

They came to stop next to Aaron, staring at the vamage lying on the ground. Ella cocked her gun, taking aim. The vamage glowered at her, still holding on to the icicle that had impaled him. Then, inexplicably, his expression cleared. He smiled, holding Ella’s gaze. In a heartbeat, he disappeared, turning to mist before soaring up into the air; a white pulsing cloud against the night sky.

Aaron stared at it, brow furrowed in confusion. Before his eyes, the sky filled with more white clouds – countless in number. They merged as one and then took off, streaking into the distance. Aaron’s breath was coming in fast, short rasps. He turned to look at Ella and Sam.

“They’re gone?” Aaron asked. “We won?”

Somehow, he couldn’t believe it. The vamages seemed to have given up all of a sudden, and all at once. Maybe they realised with Skyler and Ella back, there were enough Elementals to protect the Hub. That could be why they retreated.

Ella looked just as unsure as Aaron felt. Her narrowed eyes left Aaron and stared ahead. Her brow creased and she ran forward without saying a word. Aaron and Sam shared a look before chasing after her.

The moment they reached the grounds outside the Hub, they saw that they had, in fact, not won – not at all.

The ring that was used for Hunters’ training was full of blue-robed Empaths, kneeling next to Scott’s unmoving body. Scott’s eyes were closed, blood on his clothes, on his skin, on the ground where he lay. Sitting next to him was Rose, crying uncontrollably, holding on to his arm. She looked up at Aaron and Sam.

“He’s dead!” she cried. “Scott’s dead! They...they did this to him,” she sobbed. “They got inside the Hub and they attacked him. They killed him!”

Aaron’s gaze moved to the circular building at the same time as Ella’s. Both of them stood for a moment, frozen in sheer horror and disbelief. Then they were both running. They jumped up the bloodstained steps and into the building. They raced down the white corridor spattered with drops of Scott’s blood. They saw the doors to their main meeting room hanging off the hinges. They burst into the room and stopped, the pair of them breathing hard, staring at the sight before them with growing denial.

In the middle of the room, where the gleaming round table was supposed to be, was nothing but a gaping hole in the floor. The Hub – the very
heart
of the mage realm, the device that gave mages control of the portals and allowed the formation of Q-Zones – was gone.

***

Aaron and Ella came back out of the Hub building, just as the rest of the mages and Hunters arrived. They didn’t have to say anything. Everyone understood from the sight of Scott that the Hub had been attacked and taken. That’s why the vamages had disappeared in a heartbeat. They’d got what they wanted and left, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

Aaron felt like his legs were about to give out from under him. Every step was heavy and took his full focus. He staggered his way towards the ring but he couldn’t bear looking at Scott. He didn’t have it in him to see another dead body. Empaths were still gathered around the Controller, their hands on Scott’s body, their heads lowered and unseeing eyes closed.

“Rose?” Aaron called, collapsing next to Sam on the ground, close to the rocks that encircled the ring. “My mum...Have you seen my mum?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Rose was still at Scott’s side, her bloodshot eyes on his pale face. She shook her head. “She went looking for you,” she said quietly.

Aaron’s heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. He looked around at the crowd, desperately seeking her out. He couldn’t find her.

Ella walked up to them and waved a hand, lifting the rocks that locked them inside the ring and kept them safe. Once the rocks were placed around the ring, nothing got in or out. It was a feature used to keep the spectators of the ring safe from the duelling Hunters inside the ring. But today it worked the other way around.

Being an Elemental, Ella was able to override whichever Empath had set down the rocks for their protection. “This was a good idea,” she said, but her voice lacked any warmth.

“It was Rose’s plan,” one of the Empaths replied, still with her head dropped, eyes closed and her hand on Scott’s arm. “She and Zhi-Jiya got us here, after our huts were attacked. The rocks forming the ring kept us safe. The vamages couldn’t lift the rocks and anything they tried to throw at us was repelled.”

Aaron looked at his friend, but no words of praise left him. How could they when she was sitting beside Scott’s dead body?

The crowd of Empaths around Scott finally moved, sitting back on their knees and letting out deep breaths. Scott’s brow creased, then his head tilted, just a fraction. Rose jumped in surprise.

“Scott?” she called, her voice shaking. “Scott? Oh my God, Scott!”

“He’s alive,” said one Empath, easily the eldest one out of the crowd, with an exhausted smile. “It was close, we almost lost him.” She turned her head towards Rose. “Your effort paid off.”

“Her effort?” Sam asked. “What did Rose do?”

“She left the protection of the ring to drag Scott’s body to us so we could heal him,” the Empath replied.

Sam looked back at his sister with surprise, and a little pride, too.

The mages helped to levitate Scott’s body out of the ring. Aaron got to his feet and moved away to give them space. He wrapped his arms around Rose the second she walked out, with Sam quickly joining the hug.

Aaron pulled away, and that’s when he caught sight of his mum, looking worse for wear, searching the crowd for him. Relief poured into Aaron. Kate saw him and she stopped in her tracks. Aaron quickly went to her, embracing her. She held him tight in her arms, whispering prayers of thanks under her breath.

Aaron saw Skyler, a frown on his face, eyes narrowed as he too looked for someone in the gathered crowd. He grabbed a hold of Zhi-Jiya’s arm.

“Where’s Armana?” he asked.

Zhi-Jiya turned to the crowd of Empaths, her dark eyes searching frantically. “They...they were the only ones I found in the huts,” she said. “I didn’t...I don’t think I saw her,” she said with mounting horror.

Skyler stared at her, his eyes wide. The colour drained from his face. He backed away.

“No,” he breathed. He turned around, blue eyes searching the darkness. “Armana!” he called. “Armana!” He took off running.

“Skyler, wait!” Ella went after him.

Aaron pulled out of his mum’s arms.

“Aaron, no!” Kate called after him but Aaron was already racing after Ella and Skyler.

They ran all the way back to the main street, passing the devastation. Aaron chased Skyler and Ella into the Empath huts, which were in complete disarray – the furniture broken and scattered on the floor, doors hanging off the hinges, lanterns smashed.

“Armana!” Skyler yelled.

He ran towards the room Armana usually used. The door was knocked down and the room trashed. Armana wasn’t there.

“Armana!” Skyler screamed.

“Sky, please.” Ella tried to calm him, rushing to his side. “We’ll find her.”

But Skyler wasn’t having any of it. He went from one room to the other, shouting Armana’s name.

Aaron and Ella did the same, searching room after room. Aaron turned from the room he had checked twice already to see Ella pause in the doorway of the room across from him. She didn’t step in or back out. She was just standing there. Aaron hurried over to her.

“Ella, what–?” He stopped in his tracks.

There, lying on the floor, amongst the broken furniture, was Armana. Her long fair hair was drenched in blood, her robes torn. Two small holes in her neck were leaking blood, which pooled on the floor. She wasn’t moving.

Skyler came in after Aaron and froze at the door.

“No,” Skyler breathed. “NO!” He ran past Ella and Aaron. He fell to the ground next to Armana. “No, no, no, no, please, God, no. Armana! No! NO!”

Aaron felt like his body had turned to rock when he heard Skyler’s cries turn to howls of anguish. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t look away. He watched helplessly as a distraught Skyler sat on his knees with the bloodied, lifeless body of Armana clutched to his chest.

30

Picking Up The Pieces

Dawn rose over a broken Salvador. The buildings and cottages were left smoking, charred black and thoroughly destroyed. The table was reduced to chunks of wood, scattered every which way. Reddish-brown marks tainted the cobbled street – the blood of mages or vamages, no one could tell which.

Aaron sat amongst the devastation, his eyes dry and tired, but he found he couldn’t look away from the far end of the street, where the bodies of the fallen had been brought. So many had been killed in the attack: Jason Burns, an entire group of Orchard workers, many kitchen helpers and Hunters, including Danielle and Jean – the two Hunters who had once protected him from the Ichadaris on his first hunt. They were all there, laid on the ground, their bodies covered by white sheets.

Aaron found his gaze flitting past all of them to rest on Skyler, who was kneeling by Armana’s body. He hadn’t moved from her side. He had carried her out of the hut and laid her gently on the ground, and then just sat next to her.

The mages who had survived were left lost, not sure of what to do, where to even start. Their city had been ravaged, their people killed and their most prized possession – the Hub – stolen.

Aaron didn’t want to imagine what that meant for them now. Hadrian had the Hub. He had a powerful hold on the entire realm now. What was he going to do? Nowhere was safe. Hadrian could now open portals, which meant he had access to any zone in the realm. Hadrian didn’t even need to fight. He could map out a Q-Zone big enough to cover Neriah’s zones and kill all the mages where they stood, in a single strike.

The air of Salvador changed, mages stopped in their tracks, staring at the gap where the Gate had once stood. Aaron turned his head too. His heart lurched in his chest. Neriah had returned.

The leader of the mages took small steps, walking in to see the city he had set up as a salvation to mages and humans alike completely broken. The Hunters who had left with him followed behind Neriah, mirroring his shock and anguish at the state of Salvador. Neriah’s gaze swept through the street, no doubt picking up the burnt buildings, the bloodstained ground, but it was when he saw the bodies lined next to one another that Neriah came to a stop.

Mages ran to Neriah, crying and sobbing. They were all talking at once, telling Neriah what had happened, weeping the names of those they had lost. Neriah didn’t say a word. His eyes were still on the sheet-covered bodies. Slowly, he made his way towards them, then crouched to the ground. Skyler looked at Neriah with red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes, but didn’t speak.

Aaron felt someone come to stand over him. He turned to see his mum. Her eyes were on Neriah, though, searching quietly through his crowd. Her brow creased. It took Aaron a moment to realise why – his dad wasn’t with them.

Aaron got to his feet and followed after his mum, heading towards Neriah. They had to push their way through the crowd of mages to get to the front. But once they reached him, neither Aaron nor Kate could find the voice to ask him anything. Neriah was devastated – completely and utterly devastated. He sat with his back curved, shoulders dropped, head lowered. Aaron watched as Neriah gathered himself and raised his head with visible difficulty.

“When?” he asked, and his voice sounded nothing like his usual strong baritone voice. It was quieter, brittle, on the verge of breaking.

“Just a little after sunset,” Mary answered. “The Gate dropped and they flooded in.” She struggled to keep herself together. “They took us by surprise.”

Neriah turned to look at her with tears in his angry eyes. “Was
he
with them?”

Mary shook her head, her shoulders trembled as she fought to keep back her sobs. “No,” she whispered. “He wasn’t with them.”

“He wasn’t,” Skyler said, drawing everyone’s attention. “But his Scorcher was – he must have been. He’s the only one out of them who could touch the Gate, but that cowardly son of a demon didn’t dare come in with them. He just dropped the Gate and let his vamages do the work.”

Aaron felt his mum stiffen next to him but he couldn’t look around at her. His eyes were fixed on Skyler, staring at him with such shocked disbelief he could barely breathe.

“He did this,” Skyler hissed. “He’s responsible for every death here. He dropped the Gate. He let the vamages in. He told them exactly where the Hub was, which is why the vamages didn’t waste time looking for it.” Skyler’s jaw clenched and the blue of his eyes gleamed with hatred. “Kyran sold out Salvador. He’s the reason vamages got in and killed so many, killed Armana.” His hand curled, taking a fistful of the sheet covering Armana’s body. “I’m going to kill him.”

“No.” Aaron staggered forward a step. “Kyran didn’t do anything.”

Skyler didn’t even look at him. “The vamages can’t touch any of the Gates,” he said. “And the Gate of Salvador was one of the most heavily protected. The only one who could drop the Gate would be a mage working for Hadrian.” He looked over at Aaron. “You know anyone else who fits that description?”

“It wasn’t Kyran, Skyler,” Aaron said. “I swear, it wasn’t him.”

“How do
you
know?” Skyler spat.

“Because...”Aaron faltered. “Because I was with him.”

The effect of his words was like a thunderclap. The mages flinched with surprise, looking at Aaron in horror. Aaron tore his gaze away from Skyler’s surprised expression to meet Neriah’s narrowed eyes. “I called for him,” he explained. “I wanted to see if...if he would hear me, if he would feel my call.” He turned to glance at his mum. “I wanted to test my bond with him.” His mum was staring at him, her expression full of shock and disbelief. “He came,” Aaron said quietly. “He came when I called him.” He looked back at Skyler. “Kyran wasn’t involved in the attack. How that Gate fell, I don’t know, but it wasn’t Kyran.”

Neriah stood up. “Where did you meet him?” he asked Aaron.

“Outside,” Aaron replied. “In the woods next to the Gateway.”

“What time?” Neriah pressed.

“Sunset,” Aaron replied and then froze. The attack had happened just after sunset.

“He did drop the Gate,” Mary gasped, voicing what everyone else was thinking. “Kyran dropped the Gate and then went to see you.”

Aaron shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”

A hand grabbed him by the collar and he was pulled around to face a seething Skyler. “Open your eyes, Adams!” He shook Aaron roughly. “Kyran’s the reason all of them are
dead
,” he said, jostling Aaron towards the bodies lying on the ground.

“Let go of him!” Kate was trying her best to free Aaron, but Skyler’s fingers were curled tight around Aaron’s shirt.

“I’m going to kill him,” Skyler raged. “Mark my words, Adams. I’ll be the one to put a personalised bullet between his eyes!”

***

By that afternoon, the mages were slowly picking up the scattered pieces of Salvador. The bodies were taken away, to be prepared for burial at sunset. The Empaths worked endlessly to heal the wounded mages. Scott, Aaron learnt, was unconscious but was making a slow and steady recovery.

Neriah paused briefly next to Kate and Aaron. He told them that Chris couldn’t wield the Blade of Adams. He had left Chris in the City of Hunda to recover from the drain.

So that settled it. The Blade of Adams was waiting for Kyran, for he was the legacy holder for Earth. No one could fight that truth now – Kyran Aedus was Benjamin Adams.

Kate left to help with the burial arrangements. Aaron, Rose and Sam helped the group of mages cleaning up the street, sweeping the debris to one side. They carried the remnants of the table and piled it before the Stove, or what was left of it.

They worked in silence, Sam and Rose avoiding Aaron’s eye. After almost three-quarters of an hour working like this, Aaron’s resolve broke.

“You both not going to say anything?” he asked.

Sam heaved a heavy piece of wood onto his shoulder and carried it away without replying.

“Come on, guys,” Aaron said. “Talk to me, please.”

“About what?” Rose asked, bending low to pick up a slab of the table. She began dragging it across the street. Aaron ran to catch up and lift it with her.

“I know you’re mad at me,” Aaron said. “You don’t think I should’ve called Kyran.”

Rose didn’t say anything but her jaw clenched. She let go of the table three steps too soon and walked away.

Aaron dragged the slab to the pile of wood by himself and dropped it. “Kyran didn’t do anything,” he called after Rose.

Rose whirled around. “What is
wrong
with you?” she asked, her eyes full of anger. “You heard what Skyler said – the vamages could only get in if a mage dropped the Gate. What other mage do you know that works for Hadrian? What other mage would let vamages
destroy
an entire city in one night?”

“It wasn’t Kyran,” Aaron repeated adamantly. “He wouldn’t let Salvador be attacked.”

“He warned me about this,” Rose said. “He told me to leave Salvador, said it wasn’t safe.” Her eyes bore into Aaron’s. “Kyran knew an attack was coming.”

Aaron stared at her, lost for words. Kyran may have known about the attack, but Aaron couldn’t bring himself to believe he would drop the Gate and let the vamages in to Salvador. He shook his head.

“Rose–”

“He lived here,” Sam interrupted, coming to stop in front of Aaron with an armful of broken wood. “He knew the layout. He knew where the Hub was and that’s why the vamages went straight there.” His brown eyes were serious as they held Aaron’s gaze. “Argue all you want, Aaron, but Kyran is the one who dropped the Gate. You may have called him, but he didn’t come for you. He was
already
here. He came with the intention of getting the Hub, annihilating everyone and everything in the process.” He threw the wood onto the ground and began walking away.

“Sam, wait,” Aaron said.

Sam turned. “But you know what gets me more than the fact that you called a known enemy to our doorstep?” he asked. “That you didn’t tell me that’s what you were thinking of doing.” He stared at Aaron. “You used to tell me everything.”

“Sam,” Aaron started. “I didn’t plan it. It was a spur of the moment thing.”

“What about the time he came to see you in Hunda?” Sam asked. “Why didn’t you tell me about that?”

Aaron didn’t say anything. He dropped his gaze.

“Friends don’t keep secrets, Aaron,” Sam said. “I’ve never hidden anything from you.”

“I know that,” Aaron said.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Sam asked. His eyes narrowed. “How many times have you met him in private?”

“Just twice,” Aaron said. “That time in Hunda and last night.”

Sam didn’t say anything, but distrust gleamed in his eyes.

“Come on, Sammy,” Aaron pleaded. “You know I’m not lying. It’s just...I was confused about Kyran and why he wasn’t attacking me, why he kept protecting me. That’s why I didn’t say anything. But now I know why. He protected me because I’m his brother.”

“He may be your brother,” Sam said, “but that doesn’t stop him being an enemy.”

“Sam,” Aaron protested.

“You can deny it all you want, but Kyran’s the reason Salvador was attacked last night,” Sam said. “He didn’t carry out the attack, but he dropped the Gate and let the vamages in. Every death in last night’s attack is on his head.”

He may not have used the same words, but Skyler had said the same thing to Aaron, and it hurt a thousand times more coming from Sam.

“Do you even realise that by dropping the Gate, Kyran made damn sure the human realm suffered along with everyone in Salvador?” Sam asked. “The Gate was gone, Aaron. There was nothing left to block the tear in the barrier. Every time a mage, or even vamage, used their powers last night, all that power went straight through the tear and into the human realm. God only knows how many people were killed or injured in our world.”

Aaron was staring at him with horror. He’d forgotten that the ramifications of last night involved the human realm too.

“All of that is on Kyran’s head,” Sam said. “He had the power to stop the attack, but he didn’t. Just like he didn’t stop vamages from murdering my parents.”

There was nothing Aaron could say. Sam’s brown eyes had never looked so serious. Sam turned and walked away. Rose gave Aaron a long look before following after her twin, leaving Aaron all alone.

***

The sun set that day to the mages standing in a circle around the shrouded bodies. Wads of white cloth had covered each dead body, from head to foot, leaving only their faces bare. The mages stood in quiet mourning, listening to Neriah deliver one of Aric’s sermons. Aaron tried to concentrate, but Neriah’s speech was nothing more than mere words that made little to no sense to him. His mind felt clouded, his thoughts in disarray as he looked at the bodies on the ground. Twenty-four mages and one human – that’s who they were burying today. How many would it be tomorrow? What was going to be the final count at the end of this war?

Aaron snapped out of his thoughts when he saw several mages step forward to each covered body and sit next to it.

“It is from Heaven that we came,” Neriah said. “It is to Heaven that we shall return.”