The Seven (Fist of Light Series) (11 page)

After finishing up my last class, P.E., I remembered with a start the meeting with Em.

“Oh hey, Jas, I’ve gotta go talk to Em. I’ll meet you later at your mansion.”

From my position, two lockers down from where Jas stood, it was clear he wasn’t sold on the idea. Maybe he wasn’t as oblivious to the way Em looked at him as he appeared to be. I wasn’t about to be mothered, though, no matter his misgivings.

“I dunno. You don’t even know how to get to my place. Maybe I should come with you.” His brows drew together.

My irritation trickled through my voice, giving it both a slightly petulant and angry tone. “Come on, man, you’re not my mother. This is Em we’re talking about. You look like you’re all roses with her. Don’t want me to cut in or something?”

“I’m just looking out for your best interests! And they include not getting killed. She may be a rose, but roses have thorns. Be careful not to be drawn in and come out pricked. If you were to die, I would be honor bound to go and avenge your death. I’ve got a lot of math homework, so don’t mess up, OK?”

I figured that was as close to a “be careful” as I was going to get to out of Jas, which was far more preferable than being coddled. He was beginning to get ready for football practice and, no doubt, I would soon be seeing Rex come around the corner if I waited long enough. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him at the moment and so decided that it was time to make my exit. I said my goodbyes and exited the locker rooms. My internal autopilot engaged, and I began the trek to the stadium.

I’
d known Jas for all of two days and wasn’t sure how far to extend my trust across the still unstable bridge that had been forming. Sure, he was a nice guy, and we seemed like we would be tight excluding the addition of supernatural powers. When those were added into the mix, everything became cloudy. I couldn’t be sure how far I could trust someone when I had such a miniscule amount of time to gauge their depth of character. He had already given me reason to distrust him by shoving me into a brother-brother relationship.

I couldn’t see him as an enemy, as hard as I drove my overactive imagination to envision it. I knew when searching within every nook and cranny for enemies, they were sure to be found, which would transform me into a highly cynical and paranoid person, more so than I already was.

Everything crowded in the back of my mind upon arrival at the field. I prompted my temple with a physical tap, figuring that Jeeves would take notice and extricate himself from a slumbering state. He had been incognito all day; I presumed he was just exhausted from the training me, considering he was a mental construct in my mind. Of course, I had no idea whether all the supernatural could sense his presence when he took to the field. Although, there was a prevalent feeling harbored that Em and any other people like me would and could do so without any conscious thought. Jeeves’ energy would burn upon the senses of the Empowered like a torch set feet away from the skin. I could feel the pulse of the amulet, overlapping with my heartbeat. The warmth it radiated was comforting, a security blanket with more bite than the average bear.

Emily was sitting in the bleachers, on the far side of the field. She stood out from the cold metal framework, which was practically deserted, excepting a few juniors and seniors who congregated there after school. Nearing her, the tension within me increased in tempo to the beat of giant butterfly wings the size of an elephant. I was anxious to find out what Em had to share if it could provide me with more information on my enigmatic skillset. I had lost a part of myself after gaining the other, and was still attempting to reconnect the two wriggling new parts of my being. Maybe she would provide the bonding material that would tether them and enable me to move forward.

Her legs were crossed at the ankles languidly, on the bleachers. For a moment, she seemed lost, searching inside herself for a question in which only she knew the answer. She leapt up and gave me a hug as I neared her, and it was awkwardly reciprocated.

“It’s great to see you, Caleb! Sit down. We have a lot to talk about. Don’t be shy.” She patted the bench.

Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, she began the speech, for that’s what it sounded like.

“I’m sure, by now you’ve noticed that you’re not quite normal. You have control over the five elements, and possibly another little special something. There’s something called The Coming of The Seven, and what remains of the prophecy speaks fairly clearly of what’s to transpire in the impending days. Death and destruction stand out like black sheep, but it will be over and fortune to follow. Like in any war, there are sacrifices that must be made. The Chosen Elite, naturally, will kick start the process and bring about an age of peace and prosperity to this moral wasteland.”

“The Chosen?”

She hesitated a moment before continuing. “The Chosen are an Order comprised of the most Elite of the Empowered, those who hold collective dominion over the five elements. They have dedicated themselves to bringing the world under their rule, so that every vestige of violence and killing will be eradicated from the face of this earth, and the pores of this planet be cleansed of its far-reaching corruption. All other preternatural creatures that are an abomination on this Earth must be eliminated with impunity, and they have taken the task upon themselves to do so. The Chosen will direct and control The Coming of The Seven to minimize casualties in the ensuing battle that will proclaim their arrival. The intent is to make this world a better place for everyone, and those with power to resist will do so with all the might at their command, in order keep that coveted control in their own sullied hands. It will be futile, of course. Their corruption will be their downfall. All evil will be snuffed out from the face of the Earth so that The Chosen may begin anew, in a world devoid of the depravity that saps at the very core of humanity’s essence. It will be a new world order, and you will be vastly rewarded for your help. You will have anything you wish or require, I assure you.”

I was so very screwed. Then, a poking sensation made itself known at my temple, precisely in the spot where I had tapped it before. The world shifted then altered dramatically before my eyes. Everything became vividly clear. A pulsating bracelet lay on Emily’s wrist that I hadn’t previously taken note of, and its representation was clearly defined in my mind. The squalor exuded was overpowering, and I couldn’t help but step backward in reaction to its rot. As I absorbed Em’s image, my surroundings became a visage of complete and utter clarity. Her eyes were black bottomless pits, where red-hot fire burned for eternity.

Jeeves shouted one word into my mind, bringing with it memories of a time long past. “
RUN!
”

I would never again run like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs. It was true I didn’t know jack squat about using my powers, but that didn’t make me powerless. So maybe Em had more time to learn proper control of her abilities, and maybe she had a propensity for insanity—not something I looked for in my women. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to kill me outright. I think she wanted to convert me to her little group of super-fanatics bent on destroying the world; cue maniacal laughter.

It looked like everyone in this new shadow world was just waiting to dig their claws into me. She didn’t seem like the head honcho, either. Otherwise she wouldn’t have given me such a spiel like that and frozen up when I asked her a question about it. So, I just sat there and ignored the increasingly desperate cries that Jeeves made, his mental shouts reverberating inside my skull. I had a question to ask and wasn’t going anywhere until I had an answer that sufficiently satisfied the burning desire within.

My voice was steel and barb wire. “Are your
Chosen Elite
holding my parents?”

A lull ensued, and it stretched into oblivion. Finally, Emily deigned to answer. “I have no authorization to provide you with that information. Come with me, Caleb, and discover the answer for yourself. You know you want to. The question eats at your soul. It consumes you.”

Her wrist dripped fire, melting a hole into the bleachers, and I figured there were about ten seconds remaining for me if the question wasn’t answered to her satisfaction. Belatedly, I thought to survey the area. True to my luck, there were figures in hoodies and jackets approaching from all angles, packing, no doubt. Then, there were others, and I could perceive that they could manipulate one or more of the elements. All in all, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I couldn’t help but think about how much ensuing gore there would be when I was squashed between them.

Even with my throat dry and voice shaky, I managed to elicit the appropriate response. “I was never really big on erotic fantasy clubs. Maybe later, though. I really should be going. I just realized that I have some exceedingly important homework to complete. We can explore this avenue tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

Em’s face turned into a vicious facsimile of a smile, and I figured it was about to get hot up in here. Jumping from bench to bench, I gathered up as much speed and inertia as possible without face planting into the next row of seats. In any other situation, this would have been an exhilarating experience, but it was hard to find the thrill in such things when you had some gun-toting maniacs along with some genetically challenged freaks on your ass. My day had definitely taken a turn for the worst.

It continued to worsen as fireballs whipped to the sides of me. I began taking evasive action, which consisted of running faster and faster, while cowering as much as was feasible while sprinting. My power was flooding through me unbidden, but harnessing it proved an impossible task, even with my life dangling by a thread. It did help, however, in identifying the fact that I was surrounded completely by gun-toting fanatics and Chosen Elite. Now I was never going to be able to finish that math homework. What a cruel world.

Oh well, might as well go down fighting, right? I reached deep inside myself and felt something tingling up my spine, setting my nerve endings ablaze. On the edge of thought something lurked, deep within the recesses of my mind. Then it beckoned to me, and I knew what it was. It was a long lost friend and enemy. It was might and it was
power
. Electricity tingled on my fingertips and for a brief second, I felt my power begin to respond and a feral grin grace my face before someone bludgeoned me from behind.

Black flooded my vision and the last thing I heard was Em’s urgent voice, but she wasn’t worrying about my health. “Quickly, over here. We must bring him before The Enlightened One!”

I awoke with a splitting headache. I couldn’t quite decide whether being alive was a good thing. There were stars dancing in my vision, and based on the scenery, there wasn’t much recommending my accommodations as five star. The room, if it could be called that, was a four-walled concrete structure. The door was set into the wall flush on the inside, and it didn’t appear to be unlocked, unfortunately. I was sitting tied to a chair with an extremely tight length of rope. It had no give whatsoever, and thus no hope of going anywhere, anytime soon. The worst part, as was customary, was saved for last, and I saw them when turning to look over my right shoulder.

On a stainless steel medical tray sat some very interesting looking instruments. I didn’t think surgery was necessary, though, and the tools didn’t look as if they were used to stitch together wounds. Torture implements. Update from my previous condition: I was so fucking screwed. Biting the inside of my mouth, I narrowly prevented the moan that sought to escape from between my lips. I began an extensive search for the tiniest scrap of power. When it obliged to answer my call a slow, bitter trickle that fouled the mouth with its impotence was the only success. There must be something about the room that interfered with my mojo. I released what power that had been harnessed, a paltry stream that instantly was engulfed by the burning, arid desert I occupied.

I never would have thought to prepare for a situation such as this. It was live or die on the streets. No one was going to take you back for some sick, personal amusement. Unfortunately, there were few choices, since I was doomed to remain until I could find a way out. I would have to bide my time, make a run for it when the opportunity presented itself, because there was no way I was going out like this.