Shift - 02 (5 page)

Fresh anger coursed through my veins. I swallowed what fear lingered inside me and turned to face the room. Anger propelled me forward and with each step, it pulsed.

There was a large bench at the far end that overlooked the room, but instead of one, there were five tall chairs sitting behind it. It was higher than everything else in the room, letting the elders look down upon us. Rows of chairs lined each side like a courtroom, leaving a space between them as an aisle. Two long tables sat in front that looked up to the elder’s bench, where the
defendants
would take their place.

Jameson escorted us to the tables and we each picked our spots. Rayna, Willy, and I sat at one table, with Marcus, Vincent, and Tiki at the other. I looked up at the elder’s bench and took in each of their faces. Although more weathered than I remembered, they all looked the same.

Lawrence Blackwell was the head elder. He sat in the middle of the bench, his chair raised higher than the rest. His hair was combed over to one side and the black had grayed, giving it a salt and pepper look. His matching mustache was thick and trimmed neatly above thin lips, and though his face was wrinkling, he still looked youthful. His pale gray eyes were serious and watched us over small wire rimmed glasses.
 

Once we’d settled in our chairs, Jameson bowed to the council. Blackwell nodded and waved him away without a word. As the doors latched behind him, the sound echoed through the room, signaling the meeting had begun, and reassuring me that I wasn’t ready for it.

Chapter 3

Laurence Blackwell sat on his lofty perch, welcoming everyone into the room and introducing the council. On his right were Tom Bradmoore and Riddley Peterson, with George Carlyle and Jeremiah Clay on his left. They all looked exactly as I remembered.

When he’d finished, his eyes moved over each of our faces. Besides Marcus and me, I knew he didn’t recognize anyone, and he expected an introduction in return.

Marcus nodded and stood from his chair. “Here we have–”

“Please state
your
name first…for the record,” Blackwell interrupted. Marcus’ eyes met Blackwell’s and they stared at each other for a long moment. “For procedure’s sake…of course,” Blackwell added.

Marcus cleared his throat, and for a moment, I thought I saw anger flash in his eyes. “Of course. I am Marcus Starkraven.”

The elders rustled in their seats, with the exception of Blackwell, who stood strong and motionless. He nodded and began writing something down.

“Next,” Blackwell said.

“I am Tiki-mi-char-ni-kato of the Suriattas Clan.” Tiki bowed softly and sat back down.

“Well, that’s a mouthful, isn’t it? And you are not from…here?”

“No. I am born of the Lavinos dimension.”

“And where is this dimension?”

Tiki looked at him strangely. Confusion washed over his face and he leaned forward. “Lavinos…it is where I am from…”

“Okay…Moving on then. And you are?” Blackwell eyed Vincent over the top of his glasses.

Nerves clenched in my stomach as Vincent stood. I had warned Vincent to behave, but for that reason alone he might act out to spite me.

“I am Vincent Taryk, of the Taryk family,” he said.

Blackwell didn’t hesitate and moved his gaze to Willy. I felt a tension leave my shoulders the moment Willy’s stutter hit my ears.

“I–, I’m Willy Morrow.” Beads of sweat dripped from his brow and his skin faded in and out from its natural white to the dirty brown of the chair.

The elders watched him a moment before turning and discussing amongst themselves. They whispered briefly before all their eyes were on Rayna.

“And the female demon?” Blackwell asked.

Rayna’s feline eyes lit up. She stood and leaned over the desk. “
The female demon
is Rayna Lansing. I’m also half hunter. You probably don’t remember, but you murdered my mother.” Her words were quick and sharp.

She caught me off guard and I instantly felt horrible. I’d spent so much time worrying about her shifting and my own fears of having to face the council that I hadn’t thought about what this might be like for her. She stood in front of the very people who had ordered her mother’s death.

The other elders passed whispers back and forth, but Blackwell remained calm and watched her ferocity. “Yes, yes of course,” he said, waving her away and scribbling in his notebook.

Rayna’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the table, and she remained standing. Blackwell finished his scribbling and looked back to Rayna.

“And lastly,” he said, turning to me.

“Come on Blackwell, you know who I am,” I said.

“Please, you of all people know how important procedure is,” he said, turning his gaze back to Rayna. “And you, young lady, can sit down.”

“No,” Rayna snapped.
 

“Excuse me?”

“I said no. I didn’t realize you were deaf too. I thought you were just heartless killers.”

Blackwell took his glasses off and set them down. “Young lady, you will show respect in–”

“Respect?” Power flashed through the room as Rayna’s element moved around her.
 
“Don’t talk to me about respect you–” Rayna cut Blackwell off, but before she could finish, Marcus was there. His dark hands gripped her wrist and his lips moved quickly against her ear.

Anger filled Rayna’s eyes and her magic emanated off her skin.

“May we proceed?” Blackwell tapped his pencil against the desk.

Marcus said a few final words before stepping back, and Rayna turned her angry gaze to look at him. She stared for a long moment before sitting back in her chair, a deep breath huffing from her lips. Her magic that begged to be released disappeared back inside her, but the anger never left her eyes.

Blackwell cleared his throat. “I said, may we proceed?”

“Of course.” Marcus nodded.

“Thank you. Now please, if you will.” Blackwell looked back to me.

“Chase Williams,” I said through gritted teeth.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it? Why don’t we begin with how you, Mr. Williams, got involved with all this? If I remember correctly, you were specifically told to stay away from the affairs of the Circle and the Underworld.”

“I wasn’t given much of a choice, considering the Underworld has spent the last three years hunting me.”

Blackwell put his glasses back on and eyed me over the top. “Well, then why don’t you tell us how you managed to get so
deeply
involved?”

I explained how I had stopped the hunters from beating Willy. That was when I had first learned some of the hunters were working for a different cause. They had been looking for the demon whose blood could open the portal. They had been looking for Rayna.

“And what inspired you to show heroics to save a filthy demon?” Blackwell asked.

“He–, Hey!” Willy said.

“Silence!” Power flashed through the room and Blackwell’s deep voice bellowed at Willy.

Willy’s skin turned back to the dirty brown of the chair and he slouched back down in his seat.

“Chase?” Blackwell tapped his pencil against the desk again.

I sat up in my chair and glared at him. “I took an oath as a hunter to protect the innocent. Last time I checked, torturing a helpless demon didn’t qualify.”

“That’s preposterous. First and foremost, you are
not
a hunter. Second, no demon is innocent and we all know they are far from helpless.”

“Well, if you ever spent any time in the field, you might realize it’s not that black and white, especially when it comes to Willy.”

“Ch–, Chase!” Willy stammered, but was silenced again, this time by Blackwell’s gaze alone.

“Must I remind you of your place, Mr. Williams? I can make an example of you if you wish. To show your peers how the elders are to be treated?”

“I know my place, thanks to you, and it isn’t here.”

“I don’t care if you think your place is amongst the scum of the Underworld. How you choose to live your life is up to you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the Circle’s operation. It seems, however, your life
has
interfered with us, and as such, you will show us respect.” Blackwell’s voice was quiet, but the force behind each word was acute and strong.

I didn’t respond. I’d lectured everyone on respecting the elders and ending this as quickly as possible. So far, I’d not only overlooked how all this would affect Rayna, but I was the one causing this process to be slow and painful.

I checked my attitude and sat up straight in my chair. “I didn’t feel it was right to torture him. I thought if they were going to kill him, they should kill him, but there was no need to cause him unnecessary pain.”

“Interesting.” Blackwell wrote in his notebook. “And how did you become involved with this…Rayna creature, and come to know Marcus Starkraven was alive?”

“They both helped me when I was attacked by vampires.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to contact the Circle once you realized who Marcus was?”

“I considered it, but I was told not to contact anyone involved with the Circle. As you so pointedly just reminded me.”

Blackwell nodded and continued writing. “Rayna, how was it you became involved with Mr. Starkraven?”

Rayna sat with her arms crossed, the anger still pouring off her. “He saved me after your people finished off my mother.” She spat the words at him. Her eyes were glossy now and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was angry, or because she had to talk about her mother’s murder so plainly.

“If I remember correctly, the house was searched quite thoroughly. How exactly did you manage to stay hidden?”

“They didn’t check thoroughly enough.”

“I see...and when did you discover you were the key to unlocking the portal?”

“Brock and Lena tried to kill me in the basement of my old house. When my blood dripped on a symbol they’d painted on the floor, something happened to it.”

“You said that you are both a hunter and a demon. What is it that makes you think you’re a hunter?”

“I am an earth elemental.”

“And how do you know your abilities don’t stem from your demonic magic? You are a witch, correct?”

“I am, but my father was a hunter.”

“Okay, who is your father then?”

“He’s…I don’t know. I’ve never met him.”

Blackwell laughed. “Then how can you make this ridiculous claim that you’re one of us?”

“I…” Rayna’s anger faded and she was starting to get flustered. She looked to Marcus, but he only nodded. “Marcus told me he was a hunter.”

“Ahh, back to Mr. Starkraven again,” Blackwell said, turning his gaze to Marcus. “Mr. Starkraven, how do you know her father was a hunter?”

Marcus’ dark gaze didn’t flinch. He was calm and collected, like he expected it. “I knew Rayna’s father well. He and Rayna’s mother had been involved for some time.”

“Her mother was a demon, correct?”

“Yes, a witch.”

“Given her heritage isn’t it possible that someone else fathered this child?”

“No.”
 

“Are you suggesting the demon was monogamous with this unnamed hunter?”

“Yes, they were in love. And he is not without a name. His name–”

“Preposterous.” Blackwell interrupted. “How can you suggest that such a creature is capable of monogamy, or love for that matter? She was a demon. A witch. Nothing more than a whore of the Underworld.”

Rayna jumped out of her chair. “Don’t you talk about her that way!”

“Sit down,” Blackwell commanded.

“How dare you talk about my mother!” Power stormed through the room and the ground began to shake. Unoccupied chairs began to rattle and slide across the marble floor.

Blackwell sighed and the pale gray of his eyes expanded until no white remained. The room filled with magic and Rayna’s body jerked back into the chair. The shaking stopped and her magic vanished.

“I will not tell you again!” Blackwell's voice boomed through the room, echoing off the walls.

“Release her.” Marcus stood from his chair and his element came to life. My stomach clenched, and my nerves confirmed what I’d feared all along. There would be a fight.

“She will learn her place, or she will die.”

Rayna’s veins turned black and pushed against her skin. The pale flesh that shone under the bright lights of the room turned gray as the air was crushed from her body, and the witch came to the surface. Her magic prickled along my skin, and her eyes filled with black.

I jumped to my feet and called to my magic, adrenaline overpowering all other emotions.
 

Tiki's skin moved on its own like something else lived beneath it. I’d never seen his demon before, and it caught me off guard. His skin stretched and something primal threatened to burst out. At first I thought he might be a shifter, but he held his demon back as solid orange covered his pupils.