The Age of Mages: Book I of the Mage Tales (26 page)

“That’s
it
.” Tarik grabbed my mother by the wrist and held up her arm. Struggling to break free, she knocked Arthur’s satchel off the platform with her foot. Arthur pointed the crossbow towards Tarik, and Titus let out a low, angry growl.

“Give me the crystal!” he demanded, fangs bared. “
Now
!”

“Wait,” I said quickly. “There’s no need for that.” I gave Abigail a meaningful look. “I think we can settle this another way.”

“Joshua, no!” Abigail cried.

“What ‘other way?’ ” Tarik snarled. He turned to me, fingers still clenching Abigail’s wrist. “Either we get what we want, or she dies. You
all
do. Simple.”

“Very well, then,” I said. “You leave me no choice.” I started pulling something from the inner pocket of my jacket, and all the vampires tensed. Tarik gripped my mother even tighter, eyeing me warily. They probably thought I was about to extract some charm that would destroy them all.
Sigh
. If only.

Instead, what I retrieved would probably seem quite ordinary to an onlooker. It was a piece of quartz—about the width and breadth of a large thumb, and completely clear from one end to the other.

In other words, a crystal.

Chapter 23

The reactions were electrifying. Tarik let go of my mother, a horrifying smile spreading over his face, his eyes wide and greedy. Most of the other vampires looked the same way. Arthur’s jaw dropped, and although he tried to speak, no sound came out. Abigail closed her eyes, then opened them and glanced at me mournfully. And Titus looked at me like he was an animal about to go in for the kill.

“Oh, Joshua,” Abigail said softly. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, but I had to. Why didn’t
you
say something?”

“And put your life in danger?” Abigail looked shocked. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Still . . . you did it, Joshua. The day I passed the crystal on to you, I asked you to keep it safe, and you did.”

I gave her a little smile. “I told you, Mom—I always keep my promises. And don’t feel badly. When you gave it to me, you couldn’t have known it would cause all this trouble.” Tarik—still smiling—was about to interject when my father stepped forward.

“You had the crystal the whole time?” he asked, the veins pulling tighter around his face. I thought I actually saw a large one throbbing on his forehead. “You lied to me!”

“I didn’t lie,” I said, glancing down at the crystal and rubbing it with my thumb. “I just . . . didn’t tell the truth.”

Titus was not amused. “Well, you managed to trick me nonetheless.”

I looked him in the eye. “I’m sorry, Father,” I murmured. My apology was genuine. “I know you always wanted a son like Thor, but it seems you’re stuck with Loki. But really, what choice did I have? Abigail said I was the only person she could trust with it.”

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Titus said. “Are you implying I can’t be trusted?” Tarik and the other vampires were turning their heads from Titus to me and back again.

“What did you expect, Father?” I asked, a tinge of exasperation in my voice. “I couldn’t tell you about it, because I wasn’t sure if you would still help me look for Abigail. I had no way of knowing if you were assisting with the search because you loved my mother, or you just wanted the crystal. And I couldn’t hand it over to any of the other parties chasing us—even to get them off our backs. If I did that, and you
were
only helping because of the crystal, you might kill me to get it, and I’d never find Abigail.”

“That’s what you thought?” My father’s face contorted in disbelief. “That the entire time I was doing this merely for the crystal?”

“Weren’t you?” I prodded. “Come now, Father; I know you. If this stone possesses the power it’s reputed to, how could you—Titus Aurelius—give it up?”

My father’s arms flew out to either side, almost knocking several vampires off the platform. “I was doing this for your mother, you bloody fool!” he shouted. “And for
you
!” Titus inhaled sharply. It was almost as if he hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud.

“Look, I’m sorry to break up your family therapy session,” interrupted Tarik, “but I really couldn’t care less about all this. All I want is my crystal.”

“
Your
crystal?” said one of the female vampires. “I thought it belonged to Callix.”

“Yeah, why is it yours all of a sudden?” asked another vampire. “As Callix’s disciples, don’t the rest of us have as much a right to it?”

“No, you reeking half-wit,” snapped Tarik. “Someone has to be in charge, and right now, that’s me.”

“Seems like whoever has the crystal is in charge,” I corrected. “Anyone care for a game of Follow the Leader?” And with that, I jumped off the platform and began racing around the cavern.

Instantly, the vampires let out angry roars and went after me. Even though that was my plan, I confess, it didn’t make things any more enjoyable. I’d impulsively meant to draw them away from my family and Arthur, but I couldn’t match their speed.

“Joshua—over here!” my father called. He and my mother leaped off the platform as he held his hand up, palm open. I threw the crystal across the room, praying it didn’t land on the ground and shatter, or hit a stalagmite.

But my throw wasn’t far enough, and since Abigail was standing several feet in front of Titus, it was she who caught the crystal. The vampires swiveled their heads and rushed after Abigail.

“Can’t you throw any better than that?” Titus shouted.

“Forgive my puny deltoids, Father,” I called.
Is he really criticizing me in the middle of another life-and-death struggle?

“Abigail—here!” Titus had run to another side of the cavern, the three of us forming a triangle around the center. He held up his hand again, and my mother threw the crystal to him. Then Titus threw it to me, I threw it to Abigail, and we continued the deadly game.

This can’t go on
, I thought, heart pounding.
The vampires are either going to catch us, or get so frustrated they’ll simply kill us and collect their prize afterward
. Tarik was in the lead, lips curled back, eyes glaring, ready to tear apart whatever stood between him and the crystal.

One vampire tried to go
over
the platform in an attempt to reach the crystal. But quicker than I thought possible, Arthur kneeled down on one knee and shot him with a bolt from the crossbow. The vampire howled and went crashing into the side of the cavern, knocking the tops of several stalagmites. Then he leaped up, tore the bolt from his shoulder, and gave an outraged cry.

The crystal momentarily forgotten, the vampire bared his fangs and flew at Arthur, who almost had another bolt ready, but not yet. His eyes went wide when he saw the vampire coming, and he frantically tried pulling back on the string to cock the crossbow. The vampire’s outstretched fingers were nearly at his throat, ready to tear it open.

With my left hand, I threw the crystal to Abigail, while my right hand moved the air in front of the vampire, sending him careening back towards the cavern wall. I made sure the force was so strong that it smashed his skull against the hard rock. Several small stones rained down from the ceiling with the impact, and the vampire fell, unmoving, to the floor. Part of his head remained lodged in the wall.

Two down, eight to go
, I thought, catching the crystal again, this time from Titus. But our game of catch-the-quartz couldn’t continue. I had to stop putting my family and Arthur in danger.

“Hey, cretins—over here!” I called, this time holding onto the crystal and waving it above my head. I started running again, trying to think of a plan. The vampires were beyond rabid now. They were pushing and shoving past each other, practically foaming at the mouth. Tarik looked like he wanted to get the crystal, then tear me limb-from-limb just for the hell of it.

“You leave my son alone!” Abigail cried. She realized I wasn’t going to toss the crystal to anyone else, and pulled several rocks from the ground. Turning them into spears, she began striking the closest vampires.

“Joshua, you bloody fool!” Titus shouted. He grabbed a passing vampire by the shoulders and started pummeling him. Several others attacked Titus, and he kept throwing them off bodily—some clear across the cavern. Arthur fired bolt after bolt at the vampires battling my parents, his speed and accuracy greater than I expected.

I leaped from the ground to the wall of the cavern and back again, making the vampires follow me. Tarik was right in front, only feet away. I turned a hard right, only to go left at the last second. Tarik and the other vampires slammed into one side of the cavern. The collective weight of their immortal bodies made a sizable dent in the wall, and more stones rained down from above.

“GET OFF ME!” I heard Tarik screaming at the vampires who landed on top of him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Abigail had defeated the vampire who attacked her, and Titus two more. Together, they were working on a third, with Abigail flinging magic and Titus hurling blows.

The vampires on top of Tarik scrambled to get up. Some weren’t fast enough, and he threw them as far as he could. He rose from the pile, shoulders heaving with the force of every angry breath. I tried desperately to think of some magic to use against him that wouldn’t involve me dying or the crystal breaking. He glowered at me and I readied myself for the attack, but then Tarik got a strange look in his eye. Before I could wonder what it meant, he leaped up the platform of rock, pulled Arthur in front of him, and grabbed his throat.

“Give me the crystal, or say good-bye to . . . whoever the hell this is!” he shouted. Arthur struggled and clawed at Tarik’s arm, but of course, it was no use. Tarik pulled back several of Arthur’s fingers, and I heard a sickening snap. Arthur screamed and flailed wildly, his features contorted with pain.

Abigail and Titus had finished off the vampire they were fighting; now they and the rest of Tarik’s cronies stood stock-still, waiting to see what he’d do to Arthur. My parents were breathless, their lips parted as they stared at the platform.

“Well, what’ll it be?” Tarik gave Arthur’s neck a jerk, and my heart jumped for fear Tarik would break it. Arthur was still clutching the crossbow, useless now that he couldn’t turn around or use his injured fingers. “Make up your damn mind,” snapped Tarik. “I may have eternity, but I don’t have all night.”

“I . . . I . . .” I couldn’t give Tarik the crystal; I didn’t know what Ferox’s weasels wanted it for, but suffice it to say it was something terrible. What if it was something that involved more people dying? Should I sacrifice Arthur to save them? Then again, Arthur was my friend—how could I let him die for others who were only
theoretically
in danger?

But when I looked into Arthur’s eyes, there was no fear anymore—only anger and determination. He reached up and turned on the lamp in his helmet, then angled his neck so the light shone straight into Tarik’s eyes.

Tarik howled and dropped Arthur as his hands flew to his face. Even injured, Arthur tried to reload the crossbow, but discovered he’d run out of bolts. Unfortunately, Tarik realized the blinding light only temporarily impaired his vision, and was about to go for Arthur again. Using his good hand, Arthur bashed Tarik in the face with the crossbow, but it was too late. As Tarik fell over the side of the platform, he grabbed Arthur, and they both tumbled to the ground.

“Arthur!” Abigail and I cried out. He’d landed on top of Tarik, who was unmoving. I rushed over to them, and Arthur quickly got up, holding his bolt-less crossbow in front of him. The other vampires looked at Tarik, who lay with eyes closed on the cavern floor.

“Is he . . . ?” one of them started to say. Their eyes darted from me to Tarik, unsure of whether to pursue the crystal or feign concern for their leader.

Placing the crystal back in my pocket, I leaned over Tarik and swallowed hard, every muscle in my body tense. Blood was running down his nose and over his cheek from where Arthur hit him with the crossbow.
Funny—a simple fall like that shouldn’t kill a vampire
, I thought.

Tarik’s eyes flew open, and Titus shouted, “Joshua, look out!” But I didn’t move fast enough, and Tarik grabbed me around the throat as he rose to his feet.

Oh, hell
.
I really should’ve seen that coming
.

Instantly, it was clear Tarik was much stronger than Cedric, the vampire in the alley. Or maybe Tarik was just angrier at me than Cedric had been. Either way, I could feel the small bones of my neck cracking under his fingers.

I tried to pull Tarik’s arm off my throat, but that proved pointless. Instead, I held onto his arm and hurled my body backward. Tarik flipped over me and landed on his back, still holding my throat. I thrust the palm of my hand against his nose and heard the predictable, nauseating crunch. Now Tarik let go of my neck, but only to punch me in the face and roll me over.

“Get them!” he ordered the other vampires, using his free hand to point towards my parents and Arthur. Then he looked down at me, breathing only through his mouth, his nose askew and dripping blood. “You’re mine, you little son of a bitch.”