Exiled - 01 (27 page)

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I choked on my own breath and stared at him with wide eyes. I hadn’t seen him in three years and to see him now, here, gave me feelings I couldn’t describe. The man of honor who taught me all I knew was behind all this?

“I know, I’m probably not who you expected,” he said.

“I don’t understand.”

He looked out of place between the warlocks, dressed all in black with his sandy blond hair neatly cut. He wasn’t any taller than me, but had a thicker build. The skin I remembered as smooth and flush now looked pale and weathered. The dark blue eyes that matched mine dominated his face, but were framed by dark circles.

“Control, power, heroism…pick one. Once I’ve achieved what others have only dreamed of, there will no longer be different territories within the Circle, no more separate districts. They will all be united under one banner. There will be no council, Chase, just me, a single ruler. I will decide what’s best for the Circle. There will be no more waiting on the word of the council to take action.”

“The council is there to make decisions that benefit the Circle, not hold it back. All you’re going to accomplish is opening the doors to the other dimensions, letting pure blood demons in. We’ll be overrun, Dad. Things will be worse than ever.”

Riley laughed. “You don’t understand, and how could you? This is for the greater good. I won’t just be opening the doors; I will be one step closer to having control over the demons.” My confused expression made him smile. “You’re so naïve, so young. This isn’t about unlocking the Underworld, Chase. It’s about power, control, and invoking Ithreal.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “Ithreal? Like the demon god, banished-to-the-Underworld Ithreal?”

“Once the demon god’s power runs in my veins, the demons will not dare to challenge me. They’ll bow to me! The very power that created them will be part of me, don’t you see? I’ll rule the Underworlders too.”

“Why would you want the blood of something you’ve dedicated your life to destroying? The purest form of that evil will be inside you! You won’t be able to control it.”

Riley walked away, stopping at the edge of the Circle to look over Rayna.

“It’s a shame you’ve been reduced to such companions,” he said, ignoring my comment.

The fire was building inside me and my rage showed on my face. “That’s ironic, you’ve got demons all around you as your lackeys.”

“They obey me! These
lackeys
believe in my cause and I can use them. If their lives are lost in the struggle, then so be it. Better they lose their lives rather than my hunters.”

“You’re a hypocrite. You’re going against everything you believe in to gain control of what you’re supposed to hate.”

The back of his hand connected with my face. Blood welled up in my mouth and I leaned over and spat it at his feet. The bloody saliva found his shoe and I looked at him with loathing.

“You always needed to be difficult. You’re just like your mother, trying to challenge my authority when I know what’s best.”

“Don’t you talk about her like that!”

“I will talk about her any way I wish. If you persist in your disrespect, you will only gain a new enemy. Trust me, you don’t want that. One day you will understand that what I’m doing is best for everyone. The hunters will no longer be fighting for their lives to defeat the Underworld, and the Underworld will belong to us and do our bidding. The war will be over. The sooner you understand that, the better off you’ll be.”

“They’re people, Dad. They can’t be owned.”

My father looked at me with revulsion, not for the first time. “Now I know you’re not my son. Listen to those filthy words! You speak as though they’re our equals. That mother of yours has filled your head with poison. I’d hoped we could put the past behind us and work towards this great cause together. Either I was naïve, or I have my work cut out for me. Once I show you what I’m doing is for a valiant cause, not an evil one, you will understand.” He looked at his watch. “But there is no time now. Today I will go into another world and complete the first step towards invoking Ithreal’s power. Once you understand the potential, you will change your mind, I promise you.”

“I won’t let that happen,” I said, but Riley ignored me.

He turned to the long haired brother. “Darius, is everything ready?”

The warlock stepped forward and his long dreadlocks swayed as he moved. “Everything is prepared,” he said. He bowed his head and stepped back.

This mighty Dark Brother bowed to Riley Williams? I understood that the Underworld feared my father, but to see they were obeying him, treating him as their ruler, surprised me. Why would they support his cause when his success would cost them their freedom?

“Excellent. Prepare the girl for the bloodletting, and remember, be careful with your blades. We need her alive,” Riley said. He reached into his jacket, pulling out a vicious-looking knife. He wore a smile I didn’t recognize as my father’s.

The Brothers stood at the border of the pentagram, near Rayna, and drew their own blades. They each took one of her wrists while Riley moved to her feet and gripped both of them together.

They all chanted in unison and I pulled at my bonds, trying to free even one hand. The ropes weren’t as tight as they should’ve been and I knew then that Brock had tied them – he always did things half-assed, and this time it would cost him. I pulled a hand free and the rope relaxed around the other. Brock had been foolish enough not to tie my body and feet to the chair, and I saw the panicked look on his face as he realized that.

The Dark Brothers looked ready to do something about my escape, but Riley’s voice boomed through the room. “Leave them. The ritual cannot wait!” he commanded.

Brock pulled out his blade but I didn’t give him the chance to use it. In any other situation, I would’ve disarmed him, but I didn’t have time. I slipped my knife out of its sheath and drove the pommel into the side of his face. I felt his cheekbone shatter under his skin and pushed him sideways so I could hit him again on the back of his head. His head hit the concrete as he collapsed and lay limp in a pool of blood.

I turned at Lena’s footsteps in time to see her blade. I brought my dagger up to block it, but missed and caught her arm. I felt it slice through the flesh and muscles of her wrist. The tendons snapped and rolled up her arm like water rippling under her skin. She fell to the ground, shaking, but didn’t scream. She was going into shock.

Her undamaged hand groped at the limp appendage hanging from her right wrist. I hadn’t meant to hurt her like that, but I shook the guilt away and drove my foot into her face. Blood burst from her nose and she fell unconscious. I unlatched the chain holding Vincent and went to face the others.

Blood seeped out of Rayna’s wrists and ankles; each glyph had been slashed. The Brothers and Riley stood at their respective places, blood dripping off their blades. I tried to lunge towards them but I was frozen in place.

Vincent was motionless in his chair, and I could see the fight going on in his eyes as he struggled to move. Darius stared at us, his eyes fully black and his magic wrapping itself around me.

Rayna’s blood rolled down her skin and onto the concrete floor. Once it hit the ground, it moved on its own to outline her body. The circle lit up and glowed red, moving up over her. The light got brighter and changed from red to blue to white, forcing my eyes closed against its brilliance. Light erupted from each symbol and beamed towards the center, where all the rays met. A rainbow of colors exploded and swirled to expand over one wall.

Riley’s face was lit with excitement as wind rushed through the portal. A wide open space full of strange plants and trees showed beyond the wall. Warm air rushed into the basement, smelling of rain and something sweet I couldn’t place.

The short-haired Brother, Drake, picked up Rayna and slung her over his shoulder. I tried to scream for them to stop, but no sound came from my lips. I pushed against the spell, but despite my full effort, I couldn’t move. I reached inside to call my magic and felt the fire move through my body and come to my fingertips, but it wouldn’t ignite.

Riley and the warlocks moved towards the portal. My father turned and smirked at me with a smile that wasn’t his own before he disappeared through it.

Once they were gone, the spell broke and I tried to follow. The portal was spiraling inward, consuming itself, and I ran at full speed and jumped towards it. It was shrinking fast, and I thought for an instant I would hit the concrete wall, but as I prepared for the impact, warmth and sweet air surrounded me. Bright colors blinded me and everything went black. I floated in that darkness for a long moment until a warm glow sucked me in.

~~~~~~

Chapter 27

The colors closed in tight around me and I was engulfed by a steady pressure. The pain was excruciating, and if the air hadn’t been sucked from my lungs I’d have screamed. My body spun as the pressure increased and I thought I might implode.

When I stopped spinning, I slammed into something hard, and a different pain washed over me. I opened my eyes and squinted as they adjusted. I was moving towards a bright white light and a rush of warm air swept over my skin as the ground came into view. I was falling at an incredible speed as the pressure of the portal released me and sent me spiraling towards stony ground.

I hit the slate surface and my back arched in more pain. The portal that hung in the air above me swallowed itself, leaving me with a pale green sky, a cool breeze, and aching bones. I closed my eyes and took slow breaths, letting my lungs fill with the air they desired. It tasted different here, not a flavor I could place, but somehow sweeter than home.

I tried to move and it hurt, but I drew on my magic and let the cool wash of water flow through me. I pictured it soothing the pain, and the magic filled me briefly, but my focus was lost when I heard a soft groan beside me. My eyes opened as the magic vanished and I turned to see a half-naked man lying next to me.

I forced myself to sit up and the body beside me moved. I watched him unfold himself from the fetal position, and his groans told me he was in as much pain as I was. That I wasn’t alone in my suffering made me feel better.

The man had short, messy black hair that hung in his face. His eyes were a strange solid orange, and instead of small, round, black pupils he had large, white, triangular ones. His skin was a warm caramel tone and he looked human.

We stared at each other for a long moment and I don’t think either of us knew what had happened or what to do about it.

“Who are you?” I asked.

Confusion distorted his face, and at first I thought I had fallen into a dimension in which English wasn’t known, but as I was about to repeat my question with gestures, he spoke with a soft, accented tone that was familiar and new at the same time.

“I am Tikimicharnikato, of the Suriattas clan. And you?” His voice was quiet and feminine, matching the soft features of his caramel skin.

“I’m Chase, Chase Williams,” I replied.

“No clan?” he asked. “Surely you belong to one of the clans of the Underworld.”

I shook my head. “I’m not from here. In the world I’m from, I was a part of a group once. They are called the Circle.”

“You are from the Earth dimension? That is not possible! Your kind has not been in these worlds for millennia.” He crawled away from me in fear.

“I assure you, I’m telling the truth and I mean you no harm.”

“How can you mean me no harm? Your kind was built to destroy us.”

“I give you my word.”

 
“How? Why? You are bred to kill.”

“No. I mean, yes, but things aren’t like that anymore, not for me. I’m only here to find someone: a friend. She’s a demon too, or a half demon anyways.”

His eyes widened. “Your friend is a half demon? Like me?”

I nodded. “I need to find her.”

“You give me your word everything you’ve said is true?”

“I swear. My friend’s been kidnapped by hunters, other members of the Circle.”

“You’re here to save a demon from your own kind?”

“Like I said, things are not as they were.”

He stared at me a moment, got to his feet, and offered me his hand. He helped pull me up and I realized he was shorter than me and his clothing – if you could call it that - was ragged at best. He wore no shirt and his bare feet looked dirty and worn. His loose pants were made of a white silky material, held up by a tattered piece of rope.