Release (The Protector Book 3) (32 page)

“You welcomed me with open arms, Chase.”

“Sure, and this is where you make me an offer to join you on your future throne? To rule beside you as father and son should? Save your breath.” I searched the area not with my eyes, but that invisible part of my soul. I wanted to find Riley’s energy, just as Chief had taught me, and expel him from my mind.

“I am not. You were given an opportunity to come freely and you declined. I told you I would not make that offer again. No, in fact, you’ve become quite useful to me, Chase. And I plan to keep you around. At least until the invocation is complete. After that, well…my mercy has limits. We’ll see how you behave then.”

I shook my head. “The invocation isn’t going to happen. I told you I’d stop you, and I will.”

“Oh, it will happen,” Darius Sellowind said. He walked towards me and power bubbled around him. I remembered that energy all too well. “It has been far too long since Father blessed us with his presence, Brother.”

“Brother?” I laughed. “We’re not family. You follow Riley like lost puppy dogs, doing his bidding and forcing your own kind into slavery.”

“You speak of what you do not know,” Darius said, his power spiking to life. Magic swelled and the air picked up around us, blowing Darius’s waist-length hair behind him. Dark veins spread across his pale skin and blackness filled his eyes.

My legs gave out and I gasped as the pain twisted inside them, as though I was in my physical body and the bones were breaking beneath the skin. I dug my fingers into the dirt, trying to fight off the pain.

“That is enough.” Drake grabbed his brother’s shoulder and pulled him back.

The pain stopped, but my leg throbbed.

“Yes, of course,” Darius spat the words at him. “I’d hate to hurt our precious future.”

“I am your future,” I said. “I’m the last thing you’re going to ever see.”

“Save the hero act for your comrades, my boy. It holds no merit here.” Riley moved between the Brothers, but I could feel Darius on the verge of coming at me again.

“What do you want then?”

“It’s simple really. It appears you’ve stumbled across something else of mine. Ironic how the things I need happen to fall into your hands. You have the book, and I need it.”

“What book?”

“Your ignorance bores me, son.”

“I don’t know what book you’re talking about,
Dad
.”

Riley sighed. “The
11th Dimension
. You have it. I know you do. Arian coaxed it out of that precious little witch of yours. I want it. Let’s not make another useless bout of this. Just tell me where it is.”

I laughed. “You still can’t figure out how to use the ring, can you?”

Black lines rippled in the crow’s feet around his eyes and the creases of his mouth. “I’m not an idiot. I know how to use the ring and now I have a hunter in my possession to help me use it. That is not why I require the book.”

“Then why—”

“I’m going to make this easy for you, since I’m on a timeline here. No, I won’t tell you why I need the book, and no, I won’t allow you to make a spectacle of the affair. Rather than have a repeat of the situation we incurred with the ring, I will be forward with you. You give me the book and quit your rather pathetic quest to stop me, and I won’t mutilate your friends with a sharp spoon before I kill them.”

Riley’s face remained neutral and I fought the urge to set my magic free. I could feel it stirring inside me, begging to be released, but I knew it was no use. I’d do more harm than good to myself.

When I didn’t respond, Riley pursed his lips and nodded. “Fine then,” he said.

Black tendrils wafted from behind him, taking on the shape of a spear. The black magic arched itself back and shot forward, spiraling towards me.

I screamed as it drilled into my shoulder and the spear slowed, taking its time as it twisted and turned, tearing at the flesh inch by inch.

Drake stepped forward and whispered something to Riley. The black in Riley’s eyes focused on him and he shook his head. “Who is in charge here? You are but a servant to my future rule.”

Drake opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. The muscles in his jaw flexed and his knuckles cracked as he squeezed them into a fist.

Darius laughed and patted his brother on the back. “Yes, Drake, do hold your temper to our future king.”

“Silence!” Riley commanded, and black tendrils swelled with power, forcing me to cry out in pain. “Don’t make me do this, Chase! You cannot win. You’ve proven that time and time again. The ring, the dagger, they are mine. You can gather the other gods’ soul pieces but it cannot stop the inevitable.”

I dropped to the ground, writhing against the dirt. My magic sparked to life, and with it came self-inflicted pain. The fire tore through me, burning me from the inside out. I fought to swallow the power and push it back, but it wouldn’t concede.

“You are pathetic,” Riley said, retracting the spear from my shoulder.

The tendrils of power drifted behind him, but they didn’t change shape or attack again. Instead, his magic fell over me in a strange way, smothering the flames that scorched my insides.

“I don’t need to fight you, Chase; you’re fighting yourself. You cannot control the powers you’ve been given, which only further proves you are not good enough to be the Protector. You don’t have what it takes to tap into the power that awaits such a gift. Your own power is destroying you.” Riley paced in front of me, his tight black t-shirt hugging his solid body. “Tell me where it is, Chase. Now, or I will tear your friends apart.”

“I don’t have it,” I gasped, holding my shoulder, as if that could contain the blood that spilled from the wound. “We bought it at The Ouija Board and a witch came and stole it.”

“Do not test me, boy. I have no patience for your lies.”

“I’m not lying!”

“Then you cannot even perform the simplest of tasks!” Riley screamed, and the magic behind him grew, expanding into the air and covering the forest backdrop. His pace quickened and deep growls came as he exhaled each breath. “What am I to do with you? The Brothers insist you must remain alive, yet your mere existence begs for death.”

“If you can’t kill me, why do you continue to send your pet after me? Oh, that’s right, you can’t even control him. He turned his back on you the moment you gave him what he wanted.”

Riley turned with demonic speed and planted his foot in my stomach. My body folded in half as all the air was forced from my lungs.

I gasped for air, holding my stomach and wheezing. The pain subsided and as I sucked small amounts of oxygen into my lungs, I started to regain my breath.

“Arian was never meant to kill you. He was created as a distraction. I see through him, and everything he says, I hear. Everything he sees, I see. He was something to take your mind off of me,” he said. “Poor job that did.” Riley glared at the Brothers and cleared his throat, calming his demeanor. “Unlike others, I expected him to turn on me, but to be honest, I thought you’d kill him long before that. If I’d known you were going to have trouble doing what you were born to do, I would have gotten you a puppy instead. It seems that would be a much safer interference for the fierce Protector. Now I’ll have to waste even more of my time devouring him for you.”

“What do you even need me for?”

Riley ignored the question. I took his pause as an opportunity and reached out with my mind, searching for their energy again. I could feel it pulsing all around me. I remembered what it was like to unlock the door to Vincent’s safe house and I applied the same tactics.

I moved the energy one way, but the power didn’t grow stronger, so I tried a different path. The fabric of my reality grew warmer as I searched for his essence. His presence pulsed harder than before; I was getting closer.

“I can’t afford to have these two so focused on you anymore, Chase.” Riley’s black eyes stared at the Brothers. “Their attention to you means they become careless. Since kidnapping you and locking you up would only force your little pet to risk her life to save you, that is not an option either. Unfortunately, you two are due to live out your annoying existence until this task is complete, so I suggest you stay out of harm’s way and work with me. The rest of your cronies are of no use to me, so trust me when I say I will kill them all if I find out you’ve lied to me about the book. I let them live only to appease you for the moment.”

“I’m not lying,” I said. “Or am I? I suppose that’s for you to find out.” I found Riley’s power and grabbed a hold of it, pushing him back. It hit the edge of my mind and I felt it weaken. “Stop this!” Riley yelled and rushed towards me. He cocked his arm back and threw it forward. I pushed harder, and as Riley’s fist slammed into my face, the power broke.

A loud crack sounded and bright light flashed in my eyes. There was an instant ringing in my head, and with it came a deep pain. Riley’s body vanished, leaving a wisp of black smoke hanging in the air. The forest grew silent.

The bleeding from my shoulder had stopped, and to my surprise, the wound had partially closed. The pain throbbed in my face, and even in the dream state that surrounded me, I could feel the exhaustion.

I kept reaching out, searching for the Brothers’ power, but every time I got close, it vanished and moved away from me.

“Someone has learned a new trick!” Darius said, gripping my shirt and pulling me to my feet. “I’m done with you, Chase. I’ve stretched my patience further than is acceptable.”

“Darius, that’s enough,” Drake said.

“Shut up!” Darius’s power crackled in the air like distant thunder. “Forget who he is in this moment. He’s a rash, causing nothing but irritation.”

“He is the Protector.” Drake’s tone was quiet, just above a whisper. His black hair was spiked perfectly and I realized now his face was slightly thinner than Darius’s. His jawline was more defined, and his demeanor was calmer.

“I am well aware who he is. You need not remind me, Brother.” Darius’s words came through gritted teeth and specks of spit sprinkled my face. He took a deep breath and black eyes turned back on me. Darius released my shirt and smoothed it out over my chest. “Come now, we’ve been dancing to this song for long enough. Let us work together to achieve greatness, shall we? It is, after all, our destiny.”

I pushed his hands away from my chest. “Our destiny is mingled with each other’s, yes, but I am not, nor will I ever be your brother.”

“Oh but you are, if only for just a moment.” Darius smiled.

“We have things to tend to, Darius. We must be leaving.” Drake stood beside us, but I hadn’t even seen him move.

“Yes, of course. It is time to close this chapter of the story, isn’t it?”

Drake nodded and Darius took a step back from me, an arrogant smirk playing at his lips. “I promise you, Chase. Before your part in this is fulfilled, you will cower to my presence.”

“Don’t count on it.”

“Trust me,” he whispered, and a black hole opened up behind him. It swallowed Darius first, and Drake’s eyes met mine. He gave me a curt nod before letting the portal engulf him.

I fell back to the ground and found myself gasping for air once again. Small tremors of pain vibrated through my chest and limbs.

I closed my eyes and replayed the training I’d had with Chief. Just as I found Riley’s power, I searched for my own. I could feel it in the distance, calling to me. I followed the ambience of familiarity until the warmth was close enough to grab. I reached out with my mind and pulled it towards me.

The world around me wavered. Like a burst of steam that wafted around me, reality blurred. I tugged at the magic, pulling it closer and closer until we were one with each other. The energy I craved faded and a cool breeze splashed over me. I gasped and took in a long, slow breath, and the world around me faded.

Chapter 27

I expected to feel pain, but there was none. My shoulder was numb and I groaned trying to sit up, but found myself restricted.

Ropes wrapped around my body, holding me in place against some kind of table. I lifted my head and a foggy film filled my eyes. I shook as much as I could away, and as it cleared, I saw my group tied up. Each was pinned against a post with white fabric gags covering their mouths. They all looked to be in good condition, and the shifters had been clothed with the same white cloth that gagged them.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, trying to turn my head, but all I could see was more of the woods, which had returned to black-stemmed plants with radiant flowers.

“Ahh, you’re awake,” said a low and pronounced voice.

Footsteps dusted the dirt, and a blue and silver robe flashed in front of me. My eyes followed the robes over a robust belly and the three-fingered hands that were clasped over top of it.

His skin was a deep orange, and his gray eyes looked like something out of a science fiction movie—round and much too large. His face was long and narrow, supporting a square jaw and surprisingly small nose. His overly square forehead narrowed and dark blue hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The hair wasn’t made up of hundreds of thin strands like most. Instead, it was only a dozen thick, round threads. Elongated ears stuck out from his head.. They were elf-like and the lobes had large holes with bright blue rings stretching the skin.