Birthright - Book 2 of the Legacy Series (An Urban Fantasy Novel) (7 page)

My ears caught the screaming coming from my side. Abi was on her knees, her hands gripping her hair and shrieking like a mad woman. She turned her maddened eyes on Sun Tzu.

“You! No. NO. STAY AWAY.” She spun and screamed before throwing herself to the side, away from me. At the entrance of the basement stood one of the four mahjong-playing Asian men I saw when we entered. This one wore a pencil mustache and a thin goatee. His hair was tousled and unkempt. He had a fighter’s physique, thick muscles lining every inch of his body. In his black Chinese suit with thick, white stripes, he looked like a crosswalk — a crosswalk with mean eyes and the readiness to fight. He stood by the doorway, alert and ready, but never moving a muscle.

Sun Tzu - old and weak-looking Sun Tzu - took one step and, in a flash, crossed the distance from where he stood to where Abi continued to bang her head against the ground and scream her lungs out. He moved so fast it left a small afterimage where he had been standing moments before. If my eyes weren’t enhanced beyond normal thanks to my new powers I would have missed him entirely. He stopped an inch away from Abi and swiped her hands away, wrestling to grab her head.

My first instinct was to protect my apprentice. I would have probably hesitated in any other circumstance. I mean, the old man had been my confidant in times of need. He was the one I turned to when my life seemed as though it would crumble into nothing. I would have never thought of hurting him. Under normal circumstances, my mind would be torn between protecting my apprentice and not harming my friend.

But this is why my power scares the living crap out of me. It has a mind of its own. It reacts to my first instinct, and before I knew it, I was driving my hand, fingers pressed together and extended, hard and fast at the old man’s chest. The shadows had grown thicker around my palm, extending a little beyond my outstretched fingertips and congregating at a point. I wanted nothing more than to impale the elderly Asian with my bare hand.

I felt my fingers make contact with him. Sun Tzu had pressed his forehead against Abi’s and was muttering again. He didn’t block my strike. He didn’t even flinch. He just stood there, completely ignoring me. When my fingers met him, nothing happened. I pushed with all my might, but my fingers refused to go through him. I might as well have been poking him playfully for all the reaction he showed.

Slowly, Abi’s screams stopped, and Sun Tzu allowed her to slide down to the ground. Sun Tzu took a step backwards and reappeared where he had originally stood, a few feet away from us. I was ready to attack him again when he curved into a deep bow. I froze in mid-punch, clearly understanding the sign as a white flag. Something in me wanted to drive my fist through his head, to take advantage of his vulnerable position. It took considerable effort on my part to lower my hand and push the thought away. Slowly, the shadows thinned out, but refused to leave completely. I doubled my concentration and forced them away. It was like trying to swim in mud, and still, some wisps of darkness clung to me.

Satisfied with my return to full humanity, I crouched down to check on Abi. She grabbed onto my coat, pulling me close.

“I saw it,” she said fervently. “I saw them! They’re monsters, Erik, all of them. They have power - oh my God, the power. They can kill us, Erik, destroy us completely. They are bigger than this world, bigger than the universe itself.”

She stared at the mean-looking Asian by the doorway and I felt her shivering in my arms. “Sun Tzu and that guy aren’t human. They don’t belong here. Their power, it’s beyond anyone’s I’ve ever met. Even yours.” She pointed at Sun Tzu. “It’s like he’s alive everywhere, he knows all the things in the universe. He can make one, Erik. He can make an entire world and snuff it out.” I stroked her head and helped her up.

“What the hell did you do?” I snarled at the Asian.

Sun Tzu still bowed. “My apologies. I merely called Tiger over. I never meant to cause either of you any harm.”

Abi steadied herself and let go of my coat. “I’m okay now. I’m okay,” she rasped. “What was that?” she directed at Sun Tzu.

“I used a small portion of my power to call Tiger over. He can help you with your selection,” said Sun Tzu. “When I saw the anguish I caused you, I immediately rushed over to rectify it.” He bowed again. “My deepest apologies. I did not mean to cause you harm. But I underestimated both of you. And for that, I humbly apologize as well.”

“That was some interesting power you used there, Gramps,” said Amaymon. The cat had remained silent and stationery throughout the whole exchange.

“Did you know what was going on?” I asked him.

“Yes, I knew. But I couldn’t react or do anything since I’m stuck in this weak body,” he replied with disgust.

“I merely beckoned my associate over,” said Sun Tzu softly. “It should have remained unnoticed since my powers are on a vastly different scale than either of yours. The fact that both of you could not only perceive them, but also react, means that I have underestimated just how powerful the both of you are.”

He fell silent and hunched over in a fit of coughing. “Is this the power inside you, Erik?” I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to himself or asking me outright.

“Yeah. This is kinda why I needed to see you, apart from Abi’s channel,” I said.

“Ah, I see. Then, it is imperative now, more so than before, that we speak. But first, I must see to your apprentice,” he said. “Abigale, I am sure that you have no idea of the significance of what you just experienced. You managed to tap into my mind, my very nature, and that is why you collapsed the way you did. It was necessary for me to erase those images from your mind lest you remain incapacitated for the rest of your life. But the fact that you not only felt, but interacted with such a power, shows that you have more potential than any of us think, even your mentor.”

He raised his hand slightly. “I cannot explain the nature of my power, because no one, not even Amaymon, will fully understand it. But I can say that it takes an extraordinary mind to gaze upon my true nature. Demons, angels and humans alike would have probably died on the spot or at least had their minds destroyed.”

He looked at Tiger. “It seems that there has been a change of plans. Please call Phoenix over.” Tiger nodded once and left from where he had come from.

“Abigale,” Sun Tzu went on. “I may have been wrong in my decision. I would like you to have a proper channel, after all. And I believe I have the perfect candidate right here.”

“You sure about that, Mr. Tzu?” I heard Eddie whisper to Sun Tzu. The two were hunched over a console as the computer buzzed to life, leaving myself and Abi just standing there. Amaymon took it upon himself to wade silently over and hop onto the workbench, curling around in an empty space.

“Why, yes,” replied the elder. “Yes, I have been convinced that Abigale is capable of handling it. And it would be a shame to keep the poor thing locked for another sixty years, now wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know about that. Instructions exist for a reason,” countered Eddie. “Who knows what that thing will do?”

“My dear boy, the world is changing. You are changing. Ancient laws must make way for modern circumstances,” said Sun Tzu sweetly. Eddie gave a brief bow before resuming his tapping on the keyboard.

“Erik, Abigale,” called Sun Tzu. “Would you please come over here?” The chair he indicated looked like something out of a torture chamber. It had more wires coming out if it than one of those World War II computers. Sun Tzu grasped Abi’s arm and calmly led her to the chair, where he began sticking pads on her hands, arms, chest and forehead.

“This is a method for reading your aura, the energy radiating from within you,” Sun Tzu explained as he worked. “Eddie is quite talented at these calculations and it saves you from having to be… assessed… by Tiger.”

“What was up with that guy anyway?” I asked.

Sun Tzu flashed an innocent smile. “Some things are better left to their own devices.”

Eddie cleared his throat. “We’re good to go. Everything’s A-okay. All that’s left is for you to break the seal.”

Sun Tzu quietly hobbled over to the segmented wall and once more put his hand on the center. The square circumferences receded into his palm and then spread out until a large circle of light glowed intensely in the middle of the wall. The stone within the circle wavered and rippled wildly.
Just like a portal
, I thought. From it, a large circular object, six times the height of Sun Tzu, came out one inch at a time. Once it settled on the ground with a resounding
boom
, I quickly realized it was a cauldron. I am not kidding, it was the mother of all cauldrons, with a large lid on the top. All around it were chains, like the kind that ships use for their anchors, each link about as thick as my wrist and as wide as my palm. The ends conjoined to a locket in the middle — a neat, elliptical chunk of metal with a glass front. Inside, I could see fire more intense than I’ve ever conjured. It burned a bright white, its luminosity making it painful to look at directly.

“All that is left now is to wait for Phoenix to open the lock,” said Sun Tzu as he patted one of the chains.

From behind me, I felt an intense heat, as if someone had set off a small open fire and immediately doused it.

“I’m here,” I heard as I tried not to jump away in fright. Behind me, another of the four Chinese men I saw upstairs appeared, this one with a beak-shaped nose, piercing black eyes and slicked-back hair the color of ash. He had his arms tucked into the opposite sleeve of his uniform. When he exhaled, a small burst of ash was sent into the atmosphere. He wore a uniform of bright crimson, reflecting the light from the consoles and the circle of light on the wall. Phoenix — at least that’s who I presumed he was — cocked his head sharply to one side like a bird, and smiled at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“Man, you are one creepy dude,” I remarked. It was probably not a good idea to mess with these people, whatever they were, but I couldn’t help it. I tend to lash out when I’m scared, confused and creeped-out. Phoenix simply ignored me and calmly walked over to Sun Tzu.

“Are you sure about this?” His voice was raspy as if his throat had not formed quite right. “Tiger is not happy about releasing it. Of course, Dragon was quite amused.”

Sun Tzu sighed. “Are they bickering again?”

Phoenix let out a shrill, high-pitched laughed that sounded like glass shattering. “Ha. No. Turtle is keeping them busy with the game.”

“That’s good. Turtle was always the peaceful one,” said Sun Tzu. He looked at me and gave me a nod. “We must attend to matters at hand, Phoenix. It was my decision to release it.”

Phoenix bowed sharply with just his neck. That guy must have vertebrae like bubble gum. “I understand. I shall, however, keep watch, since I am the only being capable of generating the Sealing Flame.”

He turned and placed both his hands on the locket. Slowly, he pulled himself toward it until his lips touched the glass, and exhaled loudly. It felt as if a volcano went off. For a few seconds I couldn’t breathe, my throat too dry to swallow.

And then, it was over.

Sun Tzu stood there, clearly unaffected by whatever Phoenix had done. The latter backed away and stood quietly in a corner. Sun Tzu gave Abi and me an apologetic look.

“Some things are better left to their own devices, huh?” I said. The old Chinese man simply gave me a slight bow.

“Abigale, please come over here,” said Sun Tzu. “Erik, you and I must go upstairs and leave Abigale in the hands of Phoenix and Eddie. I assure you, she will be completely safe.” He spread his arms and the light circle vanished. From his body, he emitted an intense, bright light, enveloping the entirety of the basement.

“This area is now an extension of my own body. I shall be able to leave this place, but at the same time still have a presence here,” he said.

“What is this thing?” I asked. “I mean, whatever it is has that guy over there feeling all cautious.” I pointed at Phoenix.

“You shall see. It’s about to come out,” replied Sun Tzu.

It started with the loud clanking of chains. They receded into the cauldron, and the lid dissolved into nothingness. A loud roar burst out as hot air met the cool atmosphere. And then came the shrieking. A dark figure, about the size of a man, shot out from the caldron and into plain view, shrieking all the way.

“Erik, Abigale, Amaymon, meet the Monkey King, Sun Wo Kung,” introduced Sun Tzu.

The shape took a man’s form, dressed in spotted leopard skin and random chunks of armor. In his hands he spun a golden staff, twirling it around his body using his hands, feet and tail. As he stood, I noticed he had hands instead of feet and the distinctive simian face, as well as pale, golden fur. He began pacing around, spinning in circles and around his staff.

“WhereamI, whereamI?”

He spoke in a fast-paced manner, in short bursts of breath, as if he had spent his entire life drinking coffee. He set his eyes on Abi and dashed over to her before she could even so much as flinch.

“Youyesyou. Shallweplayagame, shallweshallwe?” He literally jumped on her chair, grasping the armrests with his feet – hands, whatever – and crouched down on her. He pressed his face against hers, huffing out breaths. Acting on instinct, I unsheathed Djinn and swung the blade toward the strange beast. Metal met metal as the Monkey King stopped my strike with the staff he held in his tail.

“Someone needs a chill pill,” I said.

Sun Wo Kung looked at me sharply, stuck his tongue out and blew, covering me in spit. He pointed a finger at me and screeched, “Ugly!” And then, he returned to huffing in Abi’s face.

“Son of a bitch,” said Amaymon as the cat burst out laughing. “I like this guy already.”

The Monkey King jumped off of Abi, doing a wide backflip. He pointed at the cat.

“Kitty. Kittymakesgooddinner. Wanttoeatkitty, wanttoeatkitty.”

Amaymon stopped laughing at that and hissed loudly. Sun Wo Kung ignored him as he noticed Phoenix and stopped vibrating on the spot.

“Birdie. Birdieisasshole,” he said in a low voice. “Idon’tlikebirdie. Birdiegivesmeburns.”