Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (37 page)

“Take good care of her,” I said, closing the car door.

Darryl and Mark saluted.

“We’ll come by after school,” Mark said and revved the engine.

I waved them off, feeling a bit strange about being away from Shannon all day. I glanced at her house before turning back to mine. Once I did, though, I stumbled backward. Graffiti similar to what I’d seen at school was splashed across the front of my house. The same three circles were linked together, with a three-pronged spear running through them. The design was spread over the entire house in bold, red ink.
 

There were a few other symbols that I didn’t recognize, as well. I looked behind me, but none of the people on the street gave any reaction. This must be meant for my eyes only.

Rushing back inside the house, I passed my mom, who was talking on the phone, and ran to my bedroom. I rubbed Matro’s calling card, and he soon materialized. “I saw the markings out there,” he said, sounding distressed.

“I don’t understand what they mean,” I said while I pulled out my chair and powered up my laptop.
 

“They are telling us that they know about you. If we don’t get back to Tranak and finish what we started—”

“You mean they’re giving you an ultimatum?” I interrupted.

“They are talking to you, now. They work better here than we ever could, and they are manipulating not just minds, but the elements as well.”

“You mean they will keep hurting the people around us?”
 

“That earthquake might be prevented if we go soon.” Matro sighed.

I threw my hands in the air. The fate of too many people lay on my shoulders. After living a dull, normal life, how was I supposed to cope? The whole situation was insane. There was a host of creatures after me, and somehow I was expected to lead a group of people who had lied to me for years.

“The lies were meant to protect you,” Matro replied to my thoughts in a hushed voice.

“If you expect me to believe anything you say in the future, you’d better not keep me in the dark anymore.”

“That is the plan.”

“What about my dad? Did Car find anything?”

“Yes. He died of an overdose.”

“He wouldn’t kill himself.”

“He didn’t. There were marks on his neck that indicate it was a forced suicide. However, the traces are not visible to human eyes.”

Too much death and too much information—my brain was short-circuiting. Without giving it much thought, I rummaged inside the desk drawer for my medication. My Tourette’s could take only so much, and I’d do more good if I were able to stay conscious.

“The blackouts are caused by your ongoing transition,” Matro said.

“When will it be over?”

“The final phase will begin once you reach Tranak.”

Darn it.
 

Matro watched me pop the pill but said nothing. Within the next thirty minutes, I felt my muscles relax, and the wild thumping inside my chest slowed down to normal.

“I’m going to drive Mom to the funeral parlor. Are you going to tag along?” I retrieved my jeans from the top of the hamper and marched to the bathroom.
 

“I’m always with you,” Matro replied.
 

I stopped in my tracks and pivoted on my heel. “Just like my own bodyguard?”
 

“More like a personal trainer,” he retorted. “We have called on all those of royal blood to help us out until we can get you safely to Tranak.”

“What can they do?”

“They will help guard you.”

“What about Shannon?”
 

“She’ll be protected as well.” Matro sighed. “Look, this is real. You’re very important to us, to our people. We need you to lead us like your father once did.”

“Isn’t that a tall order for someone who wasn’t prepared for it?”
 

“Feel the power in your veins. Your tics will diminish by the day. Already you are able to hear things a mile away, even if you haven’t realized it yet. You can see things that a normal human doesn’t. It’s been there all along.”

“How could I not notice any of that?”

“You didn’t talk about the things you saw to other children, but every night, you would tell Cynthia and Gerald. Afterwards, I’d wipe your memory clean for the next day. Alpha, this is your destiny.”

“Jesus, is my name really Alpha?”

“The one and only in Tranak.”

“So even my own name was a lie,” I muttered.

“We did it to—”

“Cut the crap. Whether you agree with me or not, this deception wasn’t fair to me or Shannon.”

“It was not our decision. Your father gave the orders. We were only doing what he asked of us.”

I considered this for a moment. “What was my father like?”

“Exactly like you. Tall, serious, and strong.”

“In other words, boring?”

“Never. Your father was a friend to everyone. He died saving my family from an attack. I vowed to protect you with my life in return.”

“Don’t you want more for yourself?”

Matro’s face hardened. “The only thing I want now is revenge, but that is a conversation we’ll save for another day.”
 

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I’d had no idea of the amount of energy it took to make decisions like choosing a casket, flowers, readings, viewing hours, and the burial. A simple service would have been easier to arrange, but Dad’s family needed closure, and he had a lot of friends and colleagues who wanted to pay their respects.

I just wanted it to be quick and painless for my mother. The process was killing her. It wasn’t fair that she was going through so much. Dad had been her best friend, and I knew that they’d loved each other deeply.
 

Detective Sander phoned the next day. As I’d expected, they were closing the investigation and labeling his death a suicide. This didn’t sit well with me, but no one would believe me if I told them the truth. So I kept my mouth shut.

I hated funerals. If there’d been any way I could have skipped it, I would have run and hidden. But my mom needed me so I sat in the front pew next to her and Dad’s brother, Uncle Ray, while Dr. Singer, my doctor and Dad’s best buddy, gave the eulogy.

The cemetery was packed with friends, distant relatives, clients, and Dad’s co-workers. I wasn’t surprised by the huge turnout. Dad had been a beloved doctor in the practice he’d established. He had made many friends throughout his life, and it was fitting that everyone should pay their last respects to such a good man. It was a relief to hear that most of them agreed that Dad wouldn’t have given himself an intentional overdose.
 

It was around noontime when we reached his final resting place. Shannon hadn’t strayed too far from me all day, flanked by Mark, Darryl, and Car. A lot of kids from school showed up, which in and of itself was a shock. Detherina was on hand, and so were Orida and Matro. There were many new faces I didn’t recognize.
 

Judging from the scent in the air, I figured the Ergans were present, too. Just when they were lowering the mahogany casket into the ground, I caught a glimpse of four figures in the distance, robed in black. When I spied Matro go rigid, I knew that he was aware of their presence, too. He gave Car a warning look.

The weather in the past few days had turned chilly, and an unexpected rain shower began just as we were ready to leave the burial site. The downpour dispersed the crowd, the people scrambling back to their cars. Dad’s brother and I ushered Mom to the waiting limousine, while Shannon followed in another car with Elizabeth, Mark, and Darryl.
 

“Uncle Ray, can you take Mom to the reception while I take care of some business?”
 

His eyebrows rode up, just like my father’s used to do. “Sure, kid. Don’t take long.”

Before I could close the car door, I heard the screech of Car’s motorcycle. Matro and the rest went running flat-out, but only I could see.
 

“Mom, I’ll follow shortly.” I waved the driver off, ignoring her protests. With the heavy rain, it was hard to determine in which direction Car and the others had gone. I followed my nose, palmed the dagger inside my blazer pocket, and made sure that I had the kordag Car had given me.

“Right behind you,” Matro said, tossing something to me.
 

“What’s this?” I looked at the small black stick in my hand.

“You’ll soon find out.”
 

While we ran through the thick bushes that lined the cemetery grounds, we discovered the paved path that led to the dense mountain that bordered the property. I could hear shrieks and the heavy clash of metal in the distance.
 

Then a whirring sounded right next to me before I had a chance to react, and a vacuum sucked us inside a cannus, where we found Car.
 

“Being invisible is our best weapon against them at the moment,” he explained. Car was heavily armed, a holster that held different weapons zigzagged across his chest. “You can’t fight them until you know how to incapacitate them.”

“Who were those guys in dark robes?” I asked, shoving the dagger back into my pocket.
 

“One of them is Axhatas. The others are clan leaders. It’s a mystery how fast they were able to regroup. It is worrisome, too, because there are so many of them.”

With a mighty swing of his hand, Matro threw his kordag, which struck one of the Ergans. Gooey yellow liquid squirted from its body before it fell onto the muddy ground. To my amazement, the weapon worked like a boomerang, spinning back to Matro the moment it had hit its target.

“The kordag thinks the way you do,” he explained, and then he went for another Ergan.

Feeling like a character in a comic book, I clutched my weapon and leapt out of the cannus.
 

“Damn boy, why do you have to make everything difficult for us?” Matro jumped out after me, while Car continued his killing spree from the cannus.

“Behind you!” Matro shouted when one Ergan nearly got me by the leg.

I pressed on the middle of the handle, and the reumdag stretched to its full size. The handle molded itself to the shape of my hand while the Ergan and I were still circling each other. The reumdag worked the way I remembered, except this time there was more energy in its twirl and I felt the power in my veins.

“Come on, doggy. Come and get me,” I said, beckoning the creature closer.
 

“It’s not a dog, for crying out loud!” Car hollered from afar.

Gnashing its teeth, the Ergan jumped up, but I pushed it back down with the blunt end of my weapon. It dropped to the ground, whimpering. “This is for my dad,” I said, then struck the damn thing. True to its function, the reumdag melted the creature.
 
Then I spun to help Matro, and we began operating like a fearsome duo, annihilating all the Ergans closest to us.
 

Car’s cannus came roaring back. “Hop in,” he called out to us. We jumped in, and Car continued to maneuver it without effort.
 

“Where are the others?” I asked when we shifted in the direction of the funeral reception.
 

“They’re cleaning up. The clan leaders don’t dissolve, so they need to be burned.”

“What happened to Axhatas?”
 

“He’s a smart bastard. He knows when to fight and when to run. We’re at full force here, and he’s not going to get to you.”

“Cool.” My palm relaxed on the reumdag, and it suddenly shrank to pocket-knife size. “Whoa, this is amazing.” I replaced it in my breast pocket.

“Don’t forget this.”
 
Matro produced a small, square box.

“What is it?”

“I believe it is the perfect time to give this to Shannon.”
 

Matro vanished before I could ask what he meant. When I took a peek inside the box, I found the necklace Dad had given me and flinched. Had Dad seen this coming?
 

People were streaming into the reception hall when the cannus dissipated around me. I glanced around the parking lot to check if anyone was paying attention, but the rain had everyone busy hurrying for shelter.

I joined Mom inside. After receiving a flood of sympathies and handshakes, I was able to slip away and find a quiet spot with Shannon. Madame Elizabeth and Gilbert were nearby talking to my mom and Uncle Ray, while Mark and Darryl were circling the buffet table like hungry wolves.
 

“Hey.” I sat down next to Shannon. From the corner of my eye, I could see Matro standing guard.

“Hey. How are you doing, Curly?”
 

She looked lovely today. Her white blouse had a frilly neckline and made her beautiful face stand out like a pearl inside a shell.

“As good as can be expected under the circumstances.” I took her hand and pressed the black box into it.

“What is this?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Happy eighteenth birthday, Shannon,” I murmured.