Chapter 35
Evil Plot
JACKAL HQ
Dmitri stepped out from the back door, his eyes on the back of the delivery truck.
The fire alarm sounded loudly behind him, as people streamed out to the street.
His father had been right that from his previous run-ins with the Surrem, they weren’t organized.
A Being who saw them as better than everyone around, would never see the point in being subtle.
Someone had to be behind them, directing their behavior. Only his father hadn’t been able to identify the culprit. Turning around he stepped into the shadows, he entered the main meeting room. Where his father sat with the three other males he’d worked with.
“He showed himself.” He announced.
“Did you recognize him?” Alek asked, calmly twisting the ring on his finger. “Anyone that’s on the list.” He motioned to the list of all Lanias’ enemies that covered the wall.
Dmitri gave it a hard look, “No, he’s not one of them.”
“The move seems weird, if they just want the key from her.” Raijin said, his eyes on Castian who was looking over a map that had two colors flashing on it, one white and one black.
The two moved close but never touched. “It looks like they aren’t even going to meet whoever took her.
Do you think it’s a solo party?” he asked, turning to look at the others.
“No, his scent is the same as those things.” Malcolm said, tapping his nose. “He’s been hanging around the Shade for a few days. My clan members said he’s got the same smell as the sites of the killings.”
“Then that settles it.” Alek said standing, “I’m going to get her.”
Tiller nodded, “I won’t bother trying to stop you.” He turned to Raijin, who was already standing. “Contact the Blue Jays and have them send extra hands to the site. Don’t let them get too close. Castian, I want you to go and create that barrier we talked about.”
“Yes, foxy boo.” Castian saluted him, following Raijin.
“Malcolm—”
Malcolm lifted his hand. “I already know, I’m going out. I’ll call a few of my own to come. Do we know how many we’re dealing with?”’
“Five last I counted.”
Everyone was tense, at the sight of the uninvited guest who stood looking over the list of enemies. His hair pulled back in a low ponytail, the black block shaped tattoos on his neck were on full display. Roni released an impressed whistle looking away from the board, “She’s got plenty of enemies.”
“Who are you?” Castian demanded, not bothering with pleasantries. His blue eyes were bright with challenge.
Roni pressed his pointed finger against the long blade pressed against his throat. “A friend of the family.” He glanced at Alek. “Aren’t you going to stop him?”
“It’s hard to stop Castian from doing anything, really,” Raijin said, moving toward the two. He grabbed the sword and squeezed; the metal made a wrenching sound. “You can see we’re a bit on edge.”
“I would be too, if that was headed for me,” Roni said as he pointed at something outside the window.
Everyone turned their eyes to it.
Only for them all to yell a warning as something came flying toward them.
Roni didn’t fall back, instead he ran to the window and jumped out of it. His body turned into a steam of light as he fell out of sight.
Reaching the bottom, he landed on top of the car that had been aimed at them.
Balancing himself on the car roof, he waved his hand up. His white magic wrapped around the whole vehicle as he maneuvered it away from the building.
Jumping higher he floated above the car, he brought his hands together; the car made a loud groaning noise as he flattened it.
Rolling it with his hands, he slowly turned it into a ball.
When he finally reached the ground, he lightly landed. Holding his hand up, he caught the car now turned into a metal ball. Placing it on the ground he whistled again.
“You’re a half-breed.”
Hearing this Roni looked up to find Lrik glaring down at him.
“I like to think of myself as a distant cousin.” Roni sarcastically replied.
Then he turned his attention to the Jackals who looked down at him from the broken window.
“I suggest you guys go, now.” Sharply raising his hand, he caught a green spear of light.
Switching his grip he spun, twirling it skillfully in his hands, he raised his arm and launched it back at Lrik with no wasted movement.
“Catch!”
LANIAS
Lanias sat tied to a chair and wondered if life could be any more ironic. The number of times she’d joked about rope play. The first time she tries it, it’s with the man she wanted to kill the most in the world.
Zaharis had spent most of his muttering to himself as he tied her up. As if he was directing a play in his own head. The thing that bothered her most wasn’t his muttering but rather seemed to be his focus of purpose.
A large magic circle, some of the symbols were familiar but others eluded her. The worst part of it all was the poison that was taking its damn time leaving her body though she could feel it dripping from her fingers.
It was to her benefit he’d been so busy talking to himself. She stiffened when a familiar magical signature appeared. A figure entered, and Lanias mentally groaned in annoyance. What else could go wrong?
Icarus.
She wouldn’t ever forget the face of the woman who looked up from the circle that Zaharis was focused on drawing. For an instant she saw her clear disgust when she looked at Zaharis. The look completely disappeared before she looked at Lanias.
“You’ve made things difficult for us,” she said as if Lanias was a naughty child who’d made a mess. “I was forced to agree with Zaharis’ plan to draw you out. So, just as he’d expected, you boldly returned to the world for all to see.”
Lanias really wanted to tell the damn woman where she could shove her comments. But sadly, she was still poisoned.
“The key must be returned; the gate cannot stay open for too long. Or riff raff will enter,” Lanias wasn’t sure, but she swore Icarus glanced at Zaharis who was fiddling with something in his coat.
“Once the key has been removed from you, we’ll—” The woman stopped talking abruptly, her eyes widened as her body lurched.
Her mouth opened and black liquid slipped out the corners as she turned slowly around and stared at Zaharis who held a dagger deep in her back.
She returned forward once more, a look of confusion and loss in her eyes. Lanias felt pity for her.
“It hurts.” She whispered right before she hit the ground dead.
Lanias couldn’t believe her eyes, why would he kill her.
“Weren’t they on the same side”?
This came out of nowhere. What just happened? Lanias felt dizzy.
Zaharis bent down, grabbing the handle of the dagger. He jerked it out. “And that’s for treating me like shit.” Kicking the dead body, he glanced at Lanias. “True Ones, they always think they’re so smart. But for some reason they always end up dead.”
“At least she’ll be more useful like this.” He added as he grabbed her arm and dragged her behind him to the center of the circle.
Conversationally he continued, “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing. You see when you kicked me into the gate, you must not have had full control because instead of shoving me all the way through to the other side, you tossed me on their doorstep. Figuratively speaking.”
Dropping the body roughly he continued. “Fortunately, or unfortunately this was akin to an annoying knock on the door for them. For me it was like being abandoned in the cold.” He reached down and lifted the dagger, and he emotionlessly brought it down on Icarus’ stomach and started carving her open.
Icarus’ black blood spilled out coating the floor.
“Anyway, when they opened the door just a creak and they saw me and wondered how I got there. Well, being the intelligent Surrem I am, I told them that the children between men and Surrem, were terrorizing the world and using their blood to suppress the others. And blah, blah, and such until they themselves insisted they come here and rectify the issue.” He reached inside her chest and jerked out what looked like a dark black beating heart.
“But instead of giving me a proper body. They gave me this broken thing.” He stood, twisting the heart this way and that.
“So, let’s first repair this broken thing. ”
Without hesitation he opened his mouth inhumanely wide and swallowed the entirety of Icarus’ heart.
His skin turned bright orange as it slipped off, the smell of something burning like brimstone filled Lanias’ nose.
Her lashes fluttered as the last effects of the poison left her.
She could only watch in silent horror as Zaharis regained his body.
The pale flesh slowly turned black, as his markings resurfaced.
Black wings burst from his back as he groaned in pain.
He rolled his shoulders as he stood once more before her, a terrifying demon from her dreams.
Looking at his long claw-like fingers, he hummed.
“I missed this body.” He turned his attention to her. “Now, what shall I do with you my dear, dear niece.”
Lanias felt her skin tighten as she stared at this creature she thought she’d killed. She could barely breathe even though she knew she should be able to run. She couldn’t move because of his terrifying aura of blood lust.
He took slow steps toward her, his sightless eyes glowing in the center with an ominous green light. Overly long arms swayed at his side as he drew closer.
“Are you scared?” He asked, his tone amused. “No need to answer, I can smell it.”
Reaching out towards her, Lanias widened her eyes at the sharp claws aimed at her face. “Let me free you of that fear.”
Lanias’ eyes shook as she screamed at herself to move.
It was like she was watching herself die again. “Come on, come on. MOVE!”
“That’s enough!”
Lanias’ reflection passed her as a sword passed across her view. Someone grabbed the back of her chair and yanked her backwards abruptly.