Playing With Fire (Power of Four Book 2) (34 page)

The Hunters, with their guns and swords still clutched in hand, followed after their leader. Machado stood like a mockery of a host, greeting each one as they passed by him. Neriah led the way across the barren land, until the last of the Hunters passed the threshold. Then the Gate closed with a resounding click.

A cloud, thick and pulsing, shot across the sky before hitting the ground before Neriah. It kicked up a mighty sandstorm. A man appeared within it, but it was only when the dust settled that Aaron and the others saw who it was.

Dark-haired and just as handsome as Aaron had witnessed in the memories and dreams, he didn’t seem to have aged much in the last sixteen years. Hazel eyes, speckled with gold, ignored the rest of the Hunters, focusing only on Neriah.

Hadrian bared his teeth in a dazzling smile. “Neriah,” he said in greeting.

Neriah bristled, like the sound of Hadrian’s voice was physically painful. He didn’t say anything.

Hadrian chuckled. “You’re so damn predictable,” he said. “Out of all my zones, I knew you would think this one would hold the Hub.” He held Neriah’s eyes and tilted his head. “If it makes you feel any better, this zone would’ve been the one to hold the Hub, if I didn’t know you’d suspect it.” He shook his head. “I guess that goes to show how well we know each other. Well, how well
I
know you.”

Neriah held his silence. He stood with fists clenched at his side. Hadrian’s gaze trailed leisurely through the crowd of Hunters. When it came to Aaron, Hadrian paused, but for no more than a heartbeat. He looked past him, giving Kate an almost smile.

“So many familiar faces,” he said. “But what happened to you, Neriah? You haven’t aged well.” His eyes glinted. “What’s the matter? Have the last sixteen years been tough on you?”

Neriah, for some reason, still remained quiet. Hadrian looked to Ella and paused. His expression changed. He looked genuinely surprised and awed.

“Don’t tell me this is little Ella?” Hadrian laughed, turning to her. “You’re all grown up.”

Ella had her gun aimed at him from the moment he had appeared. “Yeah” she said. “Sixteen years do that to you.”

“Not to everyone,” Hadrian corrected.

Ella snorted. “Let me rephrase that – sixteen years do that to those without a tainted soul.”

Hadrian smiled. “You’re very much like your mother,” he said, with something akin to fondness.

In the blink of an eye, his hand had lifted and Ella was yanked forward, landing straight in Hadrian’s arms. Neriah was pulled out of his shocked stupor, but it was too late. Hadrian had Ella turned around, one hand wrapped around her neck, the other restraining the wrist that held her gun.

Aaron felt like his heart had stopped. He watched helplessly as Hadrian used a struggling Ella as a shield, but that didn’t stop the Hunters from taking aim. The surrounding vamages clicked their guns in warning. No one fired. The Hunters watched in horror as Hadrian kept Ella in a chokehold, his eyes fast turning to a golden hazel, but never moving from Neriah.

“This must be like déjà vu for you, huh, Neriah?” Hadrian asked.

Neriah took a single step, holding out a hand. “Don’t,” he said, his voice not much more than a whisper. “Just let her go.”

“She looks very much like Lily, doesn’t she?” Hadrian asked, tightening his grip, making Ella grimace and pause in her fight to get free. “Talks like her, too. Don’t you think she should die like her mother did?”

“Hadrian.” Neriah’s booming voice was panicking. “Don’t.”

Hadrian’s eyes were a shade of liquid amber. He dipped his head to whisper into Ella’s ear. “Like I said, déjà vu.” His voice carried, so everyone could hear him. “Those were the same words he begged the day I killed your mother.”

Ella’s struggles ceased. Her eyes widened. “No,” she managed to gasp. “Lycans...killed...her!”

Hadrian pulled back, looking thrown. His gaze darted to Neriah before the lines on his brow disappeared. He let out a breath of laughter.

“You never told her?” he asked.

Neriah didn’t reply.

“What’s the matter, Neriah?” Hadrian called. “Afraid the truth wouldn’t show you in a
perfect
light?” His fingers dug into Ella’s skin as he pulled her close to speak in her ear again. “Your uncle lied to you,” he told her softly. “Your mother wasn’t killed by Lycans.
I
killed her. I held Lily, just like I’m holding you today, before snapping her neck.”

Ella looked to Neriah, holding his gaze. Tears welled in her eyes as she silently asked him if it was true.

Neriah didn’t say anything, but his drooped shoulders, clenched fists and curved back told everyone he was breaking at the revelation. Ella’s stare didn’t move from her uncle, the only family she had – the man who’d brought her up, loved her like a daughter, and also lied to her about how her mother had died. Ella closed her eyes, spilling drops down her cheeks. She tried to get out of Hadrian’s hold, but he wasn’t letting go.

“Don’t you want to know why I killed her?” Hadrian asked, his voice trembling with anger. His eyes darted to Neriah once more. “It’s all due to your uncle,” he said. “Lily’s blood is on his hands.”

“You’re right,” Neriah said and Ella stopped in her struggles, staring at him with an open mouth. The Hunters, including Aaron, were left shell-shocked at Neriah’s confession. “Lily’s blood is on my hands. I let her die.” Neriah took a step closer. “I let all of them die, because I refused to kill
you
.”

Hadrian gritted his teeth, but didn’t speak.

“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” Neriah continued. “If I had, I would have saved all the lives you’ve destroyed. So yes, every death at your hand, every family left devastated because of you, all that pain and loss is my fault, because I let you live!”

The fury on Hadrian’s face was frightening. His eyes were glowing gold, his face taut with anger, jaw clenched. “You let me
live
?” he asked. “Is that what that was?” His grip on Ella must have tightened, because her face contorted with pain, her free hand scratched desperately at Hadrian’s fingers. Hadrian barely seemed to notice. “What you did was worse than any death,” he said to Neriah. “You should have just killed me –
that
would have been more merciful than locking my core.”

Neriah straightened up to stand tall. “I guess it’s the day to rectify mistakes.”

The ground suddenly shook. A ripple tore through the ground, coming blindingly fast at Hadrian from the right. It hit him and Hadrian fell sideways, taking Ella with him. The surprise knocked his grip loose, only for a heartbeat, but it was all Ella needed. She rolled away from Hadrian, before crouching on all fours.

Out of the very ground, countless mages sprung up, spraying sand every which way. They grabbed the vamages from behind, holding the barrel of their guns to the vamages’ temples before instructing them to drop their weapons. The vamages did so without protest. They wouldn’t die if the mages shot them, but none of them wanted bullets in their heads. The excruciating pain would slow them down in the fight.

Aaron, along with the rest of the Hunters, stared in a moment of dumb confusion. The mages who had leapt out from the ground had sand and dirt stuck to their skin, sitting thickly in their hair, making it difficult to see who they were. But the one that had Machado in his grip was very familiar.

“Uncle Mike?” Aaron whispered in recognition.

Blue eyes twinkled at him and Aaron made out his uncle’s grinning face behind all the sand.

Aaron looked through the sand-covered mages again, picking out Patrick Sweeney. Parts of his white robes were visible through the sand. Some of the other mages were dressed in robes too, a few blue, some green, but mostly white. Then it hit Aaron. Lurkers. They were Lurkers.

Attention quickly shifted from the Hunters and Lurkers who had come to the rescue, to Hadrian, who sat up like a wounded animal. The ripple that had thrown him to the ground led from him, all the way back to a furious Chris. Aaron stared at his dad with surprise, and a little awe. He looked undeniably fearsome – his bright green eyes fixed on Hadrian, his hands curled into fists as grains of sand crawled down the length of his body to pool on the ground.

Hadrian looked away from Chris, to find Neriah had stepped before Ella and was now looking down on him.

Neriah smiled. “I guess I know you pretty damn well.”

Hadrian glowered. Neriah had played him. Neriah had known this was a trap, so he had Hunters and Lurkers already waiting in hiding, to flip the tables on him. The gold of Hadrian’s eyes came alive and the ground lit up with fire.

Neriah leapt back, pulling Ella with him. Fire rolled like a wave, heading towards the Hunters. Neriah reached behind him and pulled out his sword – the Blade of Afton. The engravings on the sword shimmered an electric blue. With a mighty swing, Neriah brought forth a crashing wave of water that swallowed the flames.

The vamages, taking advantage of the distraction, attacked the Hunters and Lurkers holding them at gunpoint. Hadrian was back on his feet and sent a stream of fire that zig-zagged across the ground, spreading out in every direction. The mages and vamages broke into battle, with the flames licking at their feet. Aaron threw his own ripple at two approaching vamages, knocking them back. Kate pulled Aaron behind her, shielding him as she took care of the vamages, using her gun and her powers to keep them away.

Fire shot through the air at the slightest twitch of Hadrian’s fingers. Neriah was fighting the flames, his Blade taking out most of whatever Hadrian conjured. Even so, at one point, it looked as if the sky was raining fire. Everything from fireballs to streaks of lightning fell on the Hunters.

Aaron fought with vigour, sending out ripples to throw back vamages, while dodging the retaliating attacks, as well as fireballs and lightning bolts that tried to catch him. His mum was by his side, shielding him, deflecting and throwing back what she could.

The vamages were focusing on Neriah and Chris, trying to take the Elementals out of the fight. Aaron caught sight of Ella, her face still stained with tears as she fought the vamages. Her grey eyes were on Hadrian, though, trying to get to him. She threw spears of ice at Hadrian, and one struck him in the shoulder, making him stumble back. Hadrian’s eyes narrowed and he sent a fireball the size of a boulder at her. Ella dived out of the way, before sending another burst of power at him. Other Hunters joined in, directing their energy, their power at Hadrian.

Hadrian deflected the attacks and sent more of his own at the Hunters, sending them scampering out of the way. Hadrian was taking on five, six, seven Hunters at a time and fighting them like it was nothing.

Chris threw back the last of the vamages that had crowded him and turned to find Hadrian. He gathered his power and sent another ripple. Seconds before it could reach him, Ella’s icy spear hit Hadrian, right in the chest. Hadrian staggered back a step and that’s when Chris’s ripple caught him, throwing him bodily into the air. Hadrian fell with a thump, the breath knocked out of him, the icicle impaled in his chest.

The fight between the mages and vamages was fast escalating, but Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off his dad. He watched – all the while fighting back the vamages – as his dad held out his hands, taking aim at Hadrian again. A mighty ripple tore the ground open. It shot forward, straight towards the dazed Hadrian.

Someone stepped in front of Hadrian, and the ripple burst into fragments – thin cracks spreading out to both sides instead of making impact.

Aaron’s heart stopped. Next to him, his mum’s breath caught in her chest. Standing before Hadrian’s fallen form – shielding him, protecting him – was a furious Kyran.

Chris froze. His eyes were on his son, who was glaring back with venom, his chest heaving after running full pelt to reach Hadrian. Kyran reached back to pull out the Blade of Aedus. With his eyes on Chris, Kyran slowly dragged a line in the sandy ground with his sword. It was as clear as day: Kyran was warning them – cross the line and come for Hadrian, and he would retaliate.

Chris, however, was too caught up in his own emotions to understand the warning. He took a step towards him, tears in his eyes. “Ben–”

“Kyran, no!” Aaron yelled, seeing what his brother was about to do.

Too late.

Kyran stabbed his sword into the ground. Flames erupted from the Blade with a mighty roar, ready to engulf everything in sight – the first being Christopher Adams.

32

Deadly Gifts

Fire spewed out from the ground, pulled from the earth’s core by the Blade of Aedus. It filled the line Kyran had made, before spilling out as a fiery wave that swept across the dry ground – straight for Chris.

Aaron couldn’t yell out. Terror strangled him as he watched flames catch his dad’s legs, racing up his torso. That’s when Neriah’s counter-attack crashed around Chris, extinguishing the flames. Chris collapsed to the ground.

Neriah swiped his Blade and more water came gushing out, chasing after the flames, killing it before it reached the battling Hunters. The water turned the sandy ground into a thick mush that made running all the more difficult, but Aaron didn’t care. He darted from under his mum’s arm, racing towards his fallen dad. He ducked to avoid the crossfire, but kept going until he reached Chris.

“Dad!” he called as he skidded to his knees in the mud, falling to Chris’s side.

Chris was in agony, his teeth clenched, eyes squeezed shut as he clutched at his thighs. Aaron’s attention snapped to his legs to see how badly they’d been burnt. Fabric from his trousers had melted into his bloodied skin. Bits of his flesh had been singed off.

With tears in his furious eyes, Aaron looked up at Kyran. He was still standing in front of Hadrian, with his Blade in hand. He met Aaron’s glare with eyes just as fierce, before turning away, not giving Chris a single glance. He helped Hadrian back to his feet, who had melted Ella’s icicle from his chest.

“What are you doing?” Kyran yelled at Hadrian.

“Finishing this,” Hadrian said breathlessly. He ignored the bloody wound on his chest and made to move past Kyran.

Kyran grabbed his arm. “We fall back,” he said resolutely.

“Not until this is over.” Hadrian pulled his arm out of Kyran’s grip and headed towards the battle.

Kyran stared after him, his eyes dark and clouded. His jaw clenched. With a white-knuckled grip on the Blade, he followed after him.

“Chris!”

Aaron pulled his eyes away from Kyran to see who had shouted. He found his uncle Mike had come to kneel at his dad’s other side. His eyes were wide, face pale. He met Aaron’s gaze, looking just as terrified as Aaron felt. Not a moment later, Kate fell next to Aaron, staring in horror at her husband.

“Chris? Oh my God, Chris!” Kate put her hands on his face.

“I’m okay,” Chris managed, his voice guttural with pain. “I’m okay.”

Aaron looked across to his uncle, but he was watching Kyran. Michael’s blue eyes stared without blinking, his mouth in a tight line.

“Uncle Mike?” Aaron called. “Uncle Mike!”

Michael turned to him and Aaron was thrown by the tears in his eyes. He pushed past the lump in his own throat. “Should we move Dad?”

Michael looked to Chris and shook his head. “No. Stay with him. Don’t let anyone get close.” He got up, drawing out his pistol and ran to join the fight.

Kate got up and moved to stand before her husband, gun in hand. Aaron was also by his dad’s side, but both his and Kate’s eyes were on Kyran, watching him fight the Hunters. Kate’s tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the son she thought she had lost. Aaron could see her lips trembling, repeating the name
Ben
again and again.

Kyran had sheathed his Blade and was fighting using only his powers, a mix of all three elements under his control. It took Aaron a moment to see what it was he was doing: he was taking out anyone that targeted Hadrian.

The battle had turned chaotic. Vamages and mages were attacking one another with not only guns, blades and powers, but their fists too. A whole crowd of vamages tried to bring Neriah down. The leader of the mages fought them valiantly, flooring several in single strikes.

Neriah threw down the last vamage and turned, only to find Hadrian before him. For a fleeting moment, Hadrian did nothing but look at Neriah, before his hand shot forward, and the small blade in his hand disappeared into Neriah’s stomach.

Aaron felt like he was the one stabbed, right in the chest. Somewhere in the crowd of fighting mages, Ella screamed.

Neriah’s breath came out as a gasp, eyes widening. The Blade of Afton fell from his hand. Neriah leant forward, his hand clutching at Hadrian’s arm. Hadrian pulled the knife out and grabbed Neriah by the back of his neck, bringing him closer. Tears lingered in his hazel eyes as he stared at Neriah.

“See you in hell,” he said softly. “Brother.”

He stabbed him again and again, the knife tearing into his stomach, his chest, his sides. Neriah keeled forward, his head lolled on Hadrian’s shoulder. Hadrian pulled the knife out for the last time and threw the wounded Neriah to the ground.

The Hunters left the vamages, the battle forgotten, and ran towards their fallen leader. Their swords were raised against Hadrian, bullets rained towards him, but Kyran had his Blade in hand once more. The stream of fire he sent circled around him, Hadrian and Neriah, cutting them off from the rest. The flames rose high, catching the bullets, deflecting them.

The Hunters fought the flames with desperate fury. Their shouts and cries filled the air. Ella was screaming, her element out of control as water crashed and battled with the fire. But Kyran’s power was feeding the flames, refusing to let them extinguish. The vamages pulled some of the Hunters back, keeping them from finding a way past the flames.

Aaron found himself at the edge of the fire too, trying to get past – to get to Neriah and help him.

“KYRAN!” he screamed. “What are you
doing
?” he cried. “Stop this! Stop, please!”

Kyran looked at him, but then turned away.

“Kyran, no!” Aaron called. “Kyran, please don’t do this!”

Neriah lay still, taking in shallow breaths. His front was covered in blood. It had seeped out to mix with the muddy sand underneath him. Slowly, Neriah turned, propping himself up painfully on his elbows. His bloodshot eyes went to Hadrian, who was standing before him, the knife still in his hand.

“Go on,” Neriah rasped. “Do it.”

Hadrian stared at him. The knife slipped out of his hand, hitting the damp ground. With glistening eyes, Hadrian stepped forward.

“You’ve brought this on yourself,” he said. “You have only yourself to blame.”

Neriah coughed and his lips stained crimson. “We both know where the blame lies.”

Hadrian’s hands curled into fists. “Damn you, Neriah,” he breathed. “Admit it. This is your doing.” He moved his head to look past the fiery wall, at the battling vamages and mages. He turned back to Neriah. “I never wanted a war. You’re the one who instigated it when you locked my core.”

“Because you became a demon!” Neriah spat, his expression one of agony and heartbreak. “You gave up your purity and chose darkness.”

Hadrian’s eyes glowed with fury. “And who was it that consigned me to this darkness?” he asked, stepping closer. “You turned on me when I did this,
all
of this, for you. I became what I am to fulfil
your
dream.”

“I never wanted this,” Neriah panted. “Not this.” The tears that had lurked in his eyes from the moment he saw Hadrian finally fell. “Nothing is worth the price of your soul,” he said. “No amount of power is worth losing yourself.”

Hadrian smiled and tilted his head. “Is that right?” he asked. “So why did you do it?”

Neriah was breathing fast, agony laced in every line of his body, but he looked at Hadrian with a frown. Outside the ring of fire, many mages paused, halting in the process of extinguishing the flames. Aaron was staring at Neriah, seeing the confusion on his pale face.

Hadrian knelt to look the dying Neriah in the eyes. “You played me,” he said. “You used me to take out James, then locked my powers. Chris left of his own accord, otherwise you would have got him out of the way somehow too. And all for what?” His eyes bore into Neriah’s wide ones. “So you could take over. Rule the realm as the one and only Elemental; the one and only leader.” He stared at Neriah, his eyes glistening. “All you had to do was ask me, Neriah. I would’ve happily handed you my power, even if it killed me.”

“No.” Neriah’s voice broke. “I never wanted to rule on my own. I was
left
on my own, I didn’t want it.”

A bitter smile came to Hadrian. “You ruled as the only leader for sixteen years, Neriah. Now it’s my turn.”

Hadrian stood up and Aaron could see his eyes begin to darken. The golden hazel was steadily turning to red. When his lips pulled back in a smile, Aaron saw the fangs.

Dropping to the ground, Aaron took fistfuls of the damp sand and threw it onto the fire, desperate to get past the barrier. The flames flickered and dulled, if only a little. Aaron scrambled back to his feet, backed up and then ran forward. He jumped, just as the flames reared back up. Kyran must have seen him, because all Aaron felt was a brush of searing heat before the flames shrunk down for no more than a moment, lest it burnt him alive. Aaron hit the ground, and rolled to put out the flicker of fire caught on his jacket. He got up and ran, falling to Neriah’s side.

In a flash Kyran was there, just behind Hadrian, staring at Aaron with alarm.

Following Aaron’s example, the Hunters began throwing damp sand onto the fire, so they too could get into the circle and go to Neriah’s aid. But Kyran’s power fed the flames, making them stronger, so they didn’t as much as flicker.

Aaron pulled out his pistol, but he didn’t aim at the vamage before him. He placed it in Neriah’s bloodied, shaky hands. Neriah held on to the gun, but he didn’t raise it. He looked at Aaron and a small, barely there smile crossed his lips. Trembling in agony, he turned back to Hadrian.

“Go for it,” Hadrian said, nodding at the gun. “You can’t kill me.”

Neriah’s breath was laboured. His eyes fluttered but he forced them open. “I know.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper. “I could never kill you.”

Aaron’s eyes darted to Kyran, who was staring back at him, clearly panicked. Kyran tilted his head to the side, gesturing silently for Aaron to move away. Aaron glowered at him and stayed put, remaining at Neriah’s side.

The Hunters were almost done fighting the flames. Whether it was Kyran’s distraction weakening the flames or the damp sand, Aaron didn’t know, but soon the Hunters would be inside the circle. Hadrian was seemingly oblivious, his full focus on the dying Elemental before him.

“It’s over, Neriah,” he said softly, almost gently, as if he were consoling him. “I’ve won.”

“No,” Neriah panted. “You haven’t. You did all of this for the legacies. But you don’t have them.” He nodded weakly at Kyran. “He does.”

Hadrian smiled, showing his fangs. “Kyran may hold the legacies for now,” he said. “But in due time, they will come back to me. And once I take your legacy, I’ll have all four powers at my command.” He looked down at Neriah. “No one will ever be able to stand against me again. I’ll rule this realm as the most powerful leader.”

Neriah’s gaze rested on Kyran for a moment before his expression softened. He smiled and looked at Hadrian. “You’re forgetting something,” he croaked. “Nothing is more powerful,” he whispered, “than blood.”

Neriah dropped the pistol and slammed his hand against Aaron’s chest.

Excruciating pain filled Aaron. It felt like a force had ripped him open and poured liquid lava into his bones. Aaron couldn’t scream; his breath left him completely. But he heard Kyran’s “NO!” thunder in the air around him, followed by Ella’s agonised scream. The pain was over in seconds, and as Neriah’s hand dropped, Aaron fell back, hitting the soft, muddy ground. He felt paralysed, yet his body was shaking, convulsing.

The sound of several shoes squelching against the wet ground reached Aaron but he couldn’t see. His vision had turned white. Gradually, colours appeared as a mix of blurred images, slowly sharpening. He found a tearful Zhi-Jiya and several Hunters around him. Hands were on him, trying to hold him still, but his limbs still jerked painfully. His mum was screaming his name. Aaron’s head lolled to the side, to try to find her, but all he saw was a distraught Ella sitting next to Neriah, whose eyes had closed, the life gone from his strong body.

Something in Aaron’s aching core told him Kyran had left, taking Hadrian and the vamages with him. Aaron saw his mum running towards him and that’s when his surroundings melted and Aaron’s world slowly went black. But before he lost consciousness, Aaron understood what had happened: Neriah had given him the legacy.

***

Hadrian hurled the table across the room. It smacked into the wall and broke in half. It did nothing to appease his fury. He threw the chair, reducing it to nothing more than a pile of wood. He was cursing, throwing ugly words from his mouth, snarling like a wild, angered beast. Neriah had bested him. He had come so close – so
incredibly
close – to having all four legacies under his command, but Neriah had taken that away from him. Neriah had given his power, his legacy away. He had slipped it to another, right from Hadrian’s very grasp.

Hadrian ran both hands through his hair before clasping his fingers behind his head. He stood like that for a moment with his eyes closed, in the middle of the destroyed room. When he opened them, his gaze fell on the only other person there. His son sat on the steps leading to the open balcony, his back to him.