Heir of the Elements Page 5

  Falcon stood with his mouth open. How could such a man have raised Aya? He’d always known the man was obsessed with his legacy, but he never thought it consumed him to this level.

  He took a calming breath to gather his senses. He had so many questions but had no idea where to begin. So he went with the first one that came to mind.

  “Why are you telling us all this? What do you have to gain? Blowing your cover doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do.”

  With his face bathed in glowing red, the councilman appeared as an incarnation of a demon. “I like to see the face of my enemy as they realize they’ve been demolished.”

  “We haven’t been demolished,” countered Falcon. “Far from it. We will find the emperor and destroy the Suteckh.”

  “No, you won’t.” The councilman smirked. “The emperor is hiding in K’ran’s former home. The fool will stay there, thinking he is safe, but soon enough they’ll be on him.” He turned to Falcon and Faith. “As for you two, Draknorr is on his way to take care of you.”

  Falcon’s mouth went dry. How in the world was he going to get out of this one?

  “How dare you, father?” asked a low voice.

  Falcon turned to the sight of Aya standing in the open door, her face filled with a strange combination of sadness, disappointment, and anger.

  Chapter 6

  “Aya,” said Mr.Nakatomi, obviously as shocked as Falcon to see her standing before them. “What are you doing here?” The air seemed thick, almost tangible.

  “This is my home,” said Aya, her expression hardened. “I heard of the attack and hurried to see how you and mother were. But I see you are quite well.”

  Falcon wanted to talk to Aya. To ask her how her mission went and how she’d been. But he composed himself. This wasn’t the time.

  “How much have you heard?” asked Mr. Nakatomi tentatively.

  “Everything.”

  The councilman took a step toward his daughter. “This was not the way I had hoped you would find out about this but no matter. Now that you know the truth, I have no doubt you will choose right.” He extended his hand. “Join me, daughter.”

  Aya stumbled back, her lips trembling. “You know I can’t do that.”

  Her father slammed his fist on the desk. The teacup tumbled to its side, spilling its contents over stacks of papers. He didn’t seem to care.

  Falcon waved away the aroma of green tea as he stared at Aya, hoping there was something he could do or say to help her, but nothing seemed adequate.

  “You are a Suteckh, Aya,” insisted her father. “You were born in Tenma, where your mother and sister are waiting for you as we speak. Don’t you want to join them? Don’t you want to build a legacy with your family?”

  Aya’s chest rose and fell in shallow quick breaths. She faced the floor.

  The councilman trudged over to his daughter and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Aya, I know you have a hard choice to make, but be quick about it. Draknorr will be here any minute, and when he arrives it’s imperative that he see that we stand united.”

  Aya glared at her father with a determined look. “No. This decision is actually not difficult in the least.”

  “That’s good to hear,” said Mr. Nakatomi, a smile forming on his lips. “I knew you would see reason, my daughter.”

  Aya stood straight. “No. The choice I made is to free my sister from the prison you put her in. How dare you call yourself a father after stealing her life for your petty dreams? I…” Her voice staggered, and her eyes grew glossy. “I love my little sister. I will free her.”

  “I’m so sad to hear you say that,” said a deep voice. “Now I have no choice but to kill you.”

  Falcon turned to the silhouette by the window. Oh no. Even through the darkness he made out the long double claws dangling from the right arm. Deep glowing crimson eyes stared back at him.

  The councilman bowed slightly. “It is good to see you again, Master Draknorr.” He turned his sights to his daughter. “As you suspected, she refuses to fight for our cause. Do as you wish with her. Kill her if you must. She mustn’t interfere with my legacy.”

  “You have been a loyal servant of the Suteckh,” declared Draknorr. “You shall be rewarded for your years of service. I will send you to our hometown of Tenma, to be with your family.”

  Falcon watched in horror as a skeletal hand, the size of a full-grown man, appeared out of seemingly nowhere. It took the grinning councilman in its clutches.

  “Your mother will be pleased to hear of your death, daughter,” said Councilman Nakatomi as the hand disappeared into nothingness.

  Aya didn’t show any sign of emotion at her father’s words. Instead she remained still, her expression icy. She pointed at Draknorr. “You said you would kill me, did you not? Well, c’mon then. Let’s see you try.”

  Falcon stood at Aya, mouth gaping. Her emotions were obviously getting the better of her. Did she really think she stood a chance against the dual wielder?

  Aya’s gripped the small sticks around her waist, which immediately snapped to her usual blue batons. She took a defensive stance. “C’mon, Falcon. Between the three of us, we can take him.”

  Now Falcon understood. He unsheathed his katana. In the corner of his eye, he saw Faith summon her long, wooden staff. She held it before her.

  “Let’s even the odds,” said the dark-clad knight as he pointed at Aya. A dark mist flew from his hands and into her nostrils as she staggered back.

  Falcon looked back at her, worried. “Aya, are you okay?”

  She batted his hand away, looking back at him with black-rimmed eyes. Her skin had darkened considerably, and her pupils were now a deep red.

  “Aya, what’s wrong with you?” asked Falcon. His heart was pumping now. He had to do something, anything to snap her back to him.

  “She belongs to me now,” bragged Draknorr, confirming Falcon’s suspicions. “No one can escape a dark possession.”

  Falcon dashed toward Draknorr, vengeance driving him, his doubt now replaced by thoughts of vengeance. The dark knight stood calmly in place, not bothering to move an inch or offer any kind of resistance. Why isn’t he moving? Inches away from reaching him, Falcon found out why Draknorr hadn’t bothered to move. He looked down at his feet as they sunk into the ground. He tried to move, but the black tar that now engulfed his feet bubbled ever higher, making it impossible to take a step.

  “I got you,” cried Faith as she reached for him.

  And that was when it happened. Falcon watched in disbelief as Aya slammed her body into Faith’s unsuspecting back, sending her reeling into the desk. She slipped over the desk and landed on the other side of it with a loud bang. Without missing a beat, Aya jumped over and picked up the still dazed Faith by the waist. She drove Faith forward and through the glass window. Face first. Falcon made out Faith’s low whimpers from outside.

  “After her,” ordered Draknorr. But before he had even ordered it, Aya was already diving out of the window, moving to finish her friend.

  “Stop, Aya,” cried Falcon. Harnessing all his strength, he willed himself forward, but all he managed to do for his efforts was sink even deeper. The warm tar was up to his knees now.

  “Don’t bother.” Draknorr laughed. “She won’t yield unless the person who cast the possession ability dies, and I have no intention of dying.”

  Falcon held his breath, painfully aware that there was nothing he could do to stop the dark knight before him.

  ~~~

  Faith crawled on all fours. Small glass shards dug into her palms, causing her hands to spasm with pain. There was a crunching sound of feet stepping on glass. She turned to the sight of Aya, staring down at her with a malicious look. She wore her usual white blouse with a lion insignia on her chest. A short black skirt moved, smoothing and wrinkling itself as Aya walked forward.

  Faith stood. Ignoring the pain, she pulled out the glass shards, and they dropped to the hard brick ground. She appeared to be in the mansion�
�s backyard. There were a series of servant cabins aligned in a neat row a few feet away from her. A number of trees dotted the large yard.

  “Aya, stop,” pleaded Faith, holding up her hands. “We’re friends, remember?”

  “You and I aren’t friends,” growled Aya. Her voice was unnaturally deep. “Ever since I met you I’ve hated you. You think you can just come and take what is rightfully mine?” She grinned widely as her emblem glowed a bright blue.

  Faith took a few more steps back. “Aya, you’re not thinking straight. Let me help you, please. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You?” Aya pointed mockingly at Faith. “Hurt me?” She cackled maniacally. “I would like to see you try.” With those words Aya dashed in. She brought her fist up in a high uppercut.

  Faith had seen Aya fight before, and she knew that she wanted to be nowhere close to her fists. Aya was a master grappler; any hold could lead to a broken arm or leg, or worse.

  A translucent shield appeared in front of Faith. A second before making contact, Aya flipped over it. While still in midair, directly above Faith, Aya brought down a spear of water. Faith flicked her hand, and the shield moved to block the attack. Aya landed. She kicked. Again, the shield drove her back.

  Faith inhaled. Forcing the shield to keep up with Aya was proving to be a handful.

  The water wielder rubbed her hands together. A water hawk took hold over her left hand. A lion encased her right hand. The aqua gloves roared and screeched as Aya slammed her fists into the barrier. The first punched drove Faith back; the second punch cracked the shield in a thousand places. It fell to the floor, shattering like glass.

  Before Faith could register what had occurred, Aya took hold of the holy wielder’s legs and wrestled her to the ground.

  Faith stomach tightened as she realized that she was in some serious trouble. There was no way she could stand against her on the ground.

  Aya’s elbow found Faith’s forehead. She saw stars as her head bounced off the ground. Her opponent’s strong arms wrapped around her right leg. Before Aya could lock in her grip, Faith drove her open palm into the middle of the hold, essentially nullifying the grip. Aya rolled over Faith and took hold of her hand.

  Faith tried to pull her hand back into her chest, but Aya was much too strong. Faith gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to scream as Aya pulled her arm back. She felt a tremendous warm pain on her wrist. She’s going to break it. Think Faith. Think!

  Aya was lying on Faith’s other arm, but with the little mobility she had left she willed her staff forward. Her weapon flew out of the broken window and directly into Aya’s cranium.

  Aya let go, rubbing the red spot in her head where the staff had made contact. Her eyes closed and opened, as if she were having a hard time regaining her vision.

  Without the threat of being snapped in half at a moment’s notice, Faith’s arms felt lighter. “Bubble Charm.” In an instant the invisible shield covered her.

  Aya’s eyes were a furious red. “Shield, shield, shield! It’s that all you do? Pathetic excuse for a wielder.” She pressed ahead. “Ice.” Blue water spiraled in front of her. In seconds, it hardened into a white slab. The ice emitted a clear smoke into the night air.

  Faith watched in disbelief as the point of the ice pierced the shield as if it weren’t even there. The bubble popped into a hundred smaller bubbles that took to the sky.

  “Fine,” said Faith, realizing that she had to stop holding back if she was to survive. “No more shields.” She held her staff in front of her.

  Aya grinned at the news. Both wielders met with a fierce clash.

  The water wielder’s gloves searched for an opening. Faith’s spiraled her staff expertly, repeatedly driving Aya back.

  “Kyaaa!” With a well placed kick, Aya snapped the staff in half.

  Faith tightened her grip on both sides. She had repeatedly trained with double staffs. This was nothing new.

  Aya went in with a low uppercut. Finally. An opening. Faith threw one half of the staff at her opponent, who deflected it with a punch. Blinded, she didn’t see as Faith circled around her and drove the other half of the staff into Aya’s ribs.

  Oh, no. Too late Faith realized that Aya had done a double attack. Aya’s kick headed straight for her face. It landed on her nose with a sickening crunch. Faith drove back, hard, into a tree. She tasted the blood that dripped from her nostrils.

  On the other side was Aya, down on one knee. She took shallow breaths as she clutched her aching ribs. “Not bad, holy wielder. Not many people are fast enough to break through my defense.”

  Faith whisked her hands in front of her nose. Her holy aura flowed into the injury. Immediately, the bleeding ceased. The pain, too, became non-existent. That’s it. I have to heal her too.

  Aya cracked her fists as she stood up straight. “Healing, huh. I’m just going to have to beat you faster than you can recover, then.”

  “Well, here I am,” responded Faith, sure Aya would take the bait. “Come and get me.”

  Aya gritted her teeth. “Gladly.” With frightening speed the water wielder pounced. Faith remained still, allowing Aya to take hold of her in a bear hug. Aya tried to pick Faith up for a slam, but Faith ground her feet. Simultaneously, she closed her eyes and let the holy energy flow out of her.

  “That’s not going to work!” screamed Aya. They were face to face now, so close that Faith could smell the strawberry aroma from Aya’s hair.

  A sudden burst of pain rocked Faith. The darkness was fighting back. Dark tentacles wrapped around both wielders, threatening to overtake them.

  Faith realized that with Aya fighting her, she wasn’t going to be able to resist the darkness.

  Faith opened her eyes. “Aya, I need your help.” Crimson eyes full of hate stared back at her. “I need you to fight back with me, or this darkness will claim us both.”

  Aya’s grip around her softened, and for a split second, Faith could have sworn she saw a hint of remorse in Aya’s eyes.

  “Aya,” Faith insisted. As she spoke she released greater levels of holy, causing her body to glow a bright white. “Do it for your friends. Do it for Falcon.”

  Aya’s red eyes changed to her usual black. A second later, they returned to a crimson and then back yet again to black.

  “I…I’m t…trying,” stuttered Aya, pain in her voice.

  “Close your eyes and focus.”

  The girls closed their eyes. With her last ounce of strength, Faith fought off Draknorr’s veil of darkness. She could feel Aya doing the same.

  Then, quite suddenly, her body felt as light as air. She and Aya crashed to the floor, battered and exhausted. Above them a wicked coat of dark mist disintegrated into thin air, wailing loudly in the voice of a tortured woman.

  Despite the loud screeches, Faith allowed herself a small breath, celebrating her small victory. But just as she relaxed, a scream permeated the air, chilling her to the core.

  Falcon. He was in trouble.

  Chapter 7

  “Aya, stop.” Falcon heard Faith plead from outside the shattered window, causing his desperation to intensify. He struggled to move again, but that only caused him to sink even more into the tar.

  “It looks like one of your friends will be dead soon enough,” mocked Draknorr. “Which one will be the one to survive, and which one will live? Now that’s the golden question.”

  “Stop this!” ordered Falcon through gritted teeth. His friends were mere feet from him, and they needed him now more than ever. He willed the power that rested at his core forward. It warmed his body as it bubbled through him. His usual gray emblem turned a misty blue. Shooting stars moved through it at high velocity. A second later Falcon felt the familiar pull of the vortex. He disappeared inside the hole. When he appeared again he was standing in Aya’s front yard. He breathed a sigh of relief as he trudged across the soft pasture. He had hoped to end up in the backyard where Aya and Faith were, but at least he was free.

  He snap
ped his head around as the front doors unexpectedly flew of their hinges. With a loud burst, they crashed into the front gate, breaking into dozens of pieces.

  Draknorr shook off a few pieces of scattered wood that had landed on his fist. He took a slow step into the front yard. As he moved he growled softly. “No void wielder will ever be enough to defeat me, boy.”

  “Will a dual wielder suffice?”

  No way. Falcon slowly craned his neck. Half a dozen guards who patrolled the streets lay on the floor, blood pooling from under them. High atop the fence stood the man who had made his life miserable for half a lifetime. His trademark dark robe hung from his skinny body. The ragged purple scarf was there as well. He wore a deep frown across his bony face, which was not unnatural in the least. Falcon had never seen the man display anything that resembled a smile.

  Professor Kraimaster jumped down from the gate. His robes batted loudly on the air as he landed on in front of Falcon with a thump.

  “What are you doing here, professor?” asked Falcon.

  “Zhut your mouth, Mizter Hyatt,” ordered Kraimaster. He didn’t bother to look back at Falcon; instead his eyes remained locked on the dark wielder before him. “You’ve cauzed enough trouble az it iz.”

  Me? What did I do? At least I haven’t been hiding who-knows-where as the people of Va’siel suffered. At least that was what he wanted to say, but instead all he did was remain silent.

  “I see you are a dual wielder like myself,” said Draknorr, peering at Kraimaster. He brought his hands together and revealed his lightning and dark emblems. “Which means you have to be him. Drogan, the twin-headed serpent of Ladria.”

  Twin-headed serpent of Ladria? Falcon had never heard the professor be called by that moniker.

  “Well, I suppose you’re the one-headed serpent now. Your other half didn’t survive my attack.” He took a step forward. “Do you know how I killed her?”