51. Jack
FIFTY-ONE
JACK
“Up, Jack! Get up!” Aareth yelled.
“He’s right.” Sloan was back doing her best to hide the tears she shed. “We couldn’t track the animal before, but now—” Sloan pointed a gloved hand at a trail of unnaturally bright red blood leading outside to the main city street.
Jack got to his feet, wobbling as his eyes refused to leave the limp figure of his father.
“He’d want me to finish the assignment the Queen gave us,” Jack said, more to himself than anyone in the room.
Jack ripped his eyes from his father and walked out the door with Aareth and Sloan. He felt numb. Aareth walked beside him on his right, his jaw set and violence in his dangerous eyes. Sloan walked on Jack’s left, her eyes determined, the mage sword dragging in the dirt behind her.
Just like the night before, the town had heard the commotion. Lanterns and candles were lit inside windows. Heads poked out when they saw the three members of the Queen’s emissary walking down the road.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Was there another attack?”
“Is—is that blood on your clothes? Are you all right?”
These questions and more slid off Jack as if he were deaf. He was beyond conversation now. All he could see was the trail of blood that led to the city church.
The blood was more proof the creature wasn’t born, but rather created. The blood was a bright red tint Jack had never seen before. In the light of the many lanterns and candles, it was easy to follow.
The three surviving members of the hunting team the Queen sent to Burrow Den reached the church. The blood spattering led right to the front double doors.
Aareth didn’t hesitate as he walked up the white steps. Holy sanctuary or not, he kicked in the doors with a heavy boot. Jack walked inside, wand at the ready.
The church was just like Jack remembered; large, one room with an army of pews that reached to the opposite side of the building. On a raised dais sat Elijah Ahab, and beside him, lying like a dog, was the animal that had killed his father.
“I see you have placed all the pieces of the puzzle correctly.” Elijah gave the hunters a thin smile.
“You killed an emissary of the Queen of New Hope. Elijah Ahab, you are charged with?—”
“Please, Captain, we can skip the reading of my charges? I know what I have done and I am absolved of my sins in the eyes of the Divine.” Elijah cackled with glee.
The animal at Elijah’s side squatted nervously. Jack could see the creature was ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
“How did you find the animal? How do you control it?” Jack needed to know.
“Oh, that’s actually the simplest part,” Elijah finally rose from his seat.
“I take a piece of clothing from my next victim. The animal smells it and that’s it.
” Elijah reached into the top of his high-colored shirt and brought out a small whistle on a chain.
“If I need him back, all I have to do is blow. I know this animal was a gift from the Divine One because the animal found me.”
“What are you talking about?” Sloan asked.
“I was praying for a sign one night a few months ago. I had seen the corruption eating the city from the inside out. I had no way to stop it. Then I heard a scratching at the back door. The animal was no bigger than a small wolf at the time; still, I knew it was a sign. I nursed it and it grew to this unnatural size. It grew into a weapon to be used against the enemies of the kingdom.”
“And my father? He was a corrupt enemy of the kingdom that needed to be killed?” Jack choked out the words with disgust.
“Your father was among the most dangerous of enemies.” Elijah smoothed down his long black cloak and stretched. “He was a man of morals and unrelenting determination. He had to be disposed of for the greater good. Much like all of you.”
For a moment, all that could be heard was the switch of Sloan’s mage sword being flicked on. Aareth shrugged off his dark coat. It slipped to the floor, already forgotten.
The church was lit by dozens of candles, both along the walls and high overhead on hanging chandlers. Jack found it ironic the very place that brought peace and comfort to so many was about to become a battleground.
“The Divine One is on my side tonight. You sinners will be cast into the abyss where you belong.” Elijah stepped off the raised podium. He reached inside his cloak and drew out a long knife. The creature rose on all fours to stand by his side.
“Enough words, you lunatic.” Aareth took a step forward. “I’m going to rip your tongue out of your mouth.”
Elijah gave the slightest flick of his wrist. The mutated wolf ran forward, its eyes fixed on Aareth.
Sloan charged, slashing at Elijah, but the preacher was faster than he looked. Dodging the attack, Elijah struck back with a jab of his own. Sloan batted the attempt away and the two combatants circled one another.
Jack witnessed Sloan and Elijah clash. He had to make a split-second decision on who to help. Just as quickly as the question came, he knew he had to assist Aareth. Sloan could handle the preacher on her own, but ending the genetically engineered killing machine would be a herculean task.
Jack aimed his wand at the charging monster. His eyes narrowed as he chose his shot and fired. Previously, when the creature attacked his father, Jack fired his shots in a hurry. They hit the beast but in places that were not necessarily life threatening.
Now, as the monster and the assassin ran toward one another, Jack took his time to aim. Magic flew through the air as Jack chose his targets with care. Green fiery blasts found their marks. Magic tore through ligaments and flesh.
The creature howled in pain as magical strikes connected with its jaw, nose, and forearms. Jack chose the forearms of the animal to slow down its unearthly force before it collided with Aareth.
The nose was chosen because it would blur the animal’s vision, blood spraying into its eyes.
Jack chose the jaw as a target because that was the animal’s greatest weapon.
If Jack could break a jawbone, the animal wouldn’t be able to bite down on Aareth.
In the matter of only a few seconds, Jack’s energy was spent. Monster and assassin met in the middle of the church in a head-on collision. Aareth’s mage gauntlets found the creature’s throat. Both combatants fell sideways as blue crackling magic filled the interior of the church.
The soft candlelight flames were greeted with blue smoke and steam rising from the creature’s skin and fur.
With Aareth and the monster locked in combat, firing more magic would be too dangerous. Jack clicked the button on his wand. In a second, the ends elongated, and a black staff was in his hands.
Screaming in pain, the creature’s large jaws found one of the gauntlets protecting Aareth’s hand and forearm.
Huge teeth crunched on the hard metal and tore at the steel.
While Jack had succeeded in injuring the beast’s jaw, it seemed it was not broken.
With a violent shake of its head, the animal managed to tear off one of Aareth’s steel gauntlets.
As the two wrestled and rolled, the monster found a dominating position on top of Aareth. Now with one gauntlet gone and the other out of electric charge, Aareth was in trouble.
Jack ran forward, his staff ablaze with dancing jade magic.
With every blow landed, a loud crack filled the room.
The creature’s hide was crossed with multiple burn marks from Jack’s attack.
It wasn’t enough to deter the beast. The animal bled from a dozen different wounds, but still it ignored Jack and grabbed Aareth’s unprotected arm in a vise-like grip.
Aareth screamed in pain as he beat the creature’s face with his free arm.
Jack was exhausted. The green magical energy across his staff was mirroring how he felt as it faded. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Think, Jack! Think! You’ve already lost your father; now you’re going to lose Aareth too.
Jack was interrupted from his thoughts of doubt and worry by someone yelling his name. Jack turned and saw Sloan and Elijah, both bloody messes. Sloan was standing on her feet, with Elijah on one knee, gathering himself for another attack.
“Jack, catch!”
Sloan tossed her mage sword through the air across the six yards separating them.
Jack raised his right arm and caught the heated sword hilt first. The monster was shaking Aareth by his right arm like a rag doll.
Jack raised the sword high overhead with both hands on the hilt.
With all the force he could summon, Jack brought the sword down on the monster’s neck.
“Rawwww!” Jack screamed, channeling his anger and pain at losing his father into a single blow. Everything he was he put into that downward slash.
Edison’s invention did him proud. Jack cleaved through bone and flesh as he separated the creature’s head from the rest of its body.
The beast’s jaws immediately opened. It released Aareth’s arm, and the rest of the creature’s body fell spasming to the floor.
A scream so intense and full of pain filled the room that Jack thought for sure Sloan was dead.