Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1) (36 page)

“All of the dragons are shifters?”

“Indeed they are,” Eddie said with pride.

As Marduk’s army broke and ran, only a small handful of defenders remained by his side—a few ghouls, another vampire, three of those gargoyle creatures that had helped Zane and I escape from North Brother Island— but it wasn’t enough.

The elves and manticores, along with Jason, had regrouped and joined the mages, and the shifters were now on our side. While we didn’t have the numbers, the elves had human weapons; the manticores had poison; and not only did the mages have powerful magic, but holding them back until the end had ensured they were fresh and strong when we needed them the most.

With the rift close at our backs, dragons landed on all sides of Marduk’s party. The fighting was over when Marduk realized they were defeated.

I shrugged Eddie off, wanting to approach my father under my own power. I tried to walk with confidence and a straight back, but my injuries wouldn’t allow it. I probably looked and shuffled along more like a zombie from
The Walking Dead
.

“I should have them kill you where you stand,” I said.

“You would murder your own father, the only flesh and blood left to you? I think not. You don’t even have a clue as to what’s going on here. You think you’re fighting for good, for justice, for freedom. Well, think again. You, my child, are on the wrong side of this war, and you will learn that soon enough. These traitorous mages will take off their masks eventually. The only question is whether it will be too late for you when they do.”

That was not at all the speech I was expecting from him. I expected the ranting and ravings of a lunatic monarch calling for world domination or even groveling and begging for mercy. This information gave me pause. I knew for sure I couldn’t trust Marduk, yet I also didn’t trust the mages. Sure, they had come to my aid tonight, but the price they had asked was to take possession of Sharur. They had claimed they would seal it away; however, the elves certainly hadn’t believed them, so why should I? I had never had any intention of handing it over anyway.

Marduk was right, though, that I still didn’t fully understand the politics of this situation. I was in the battle only to save earth from being overrun by monsters. I had been mostly successful, although a number of creatures had slipped out of the stadium and into the city during the chaos of the battle. Short of that objective, I didn’t really know why Marduk wanted to come through to Earth, why the mages wanted Sharur, or even why the elves had decided to get involved rather than hunker down in their quiet corner of the world like they had been doing for years.

“He is our prisoner now,” came Alcina’s small voice. “He will be brought before the Council and given a trial before his execution.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very fair trial if you’ve already determined he will be executed,” I said. It’s not that I cared much about what happened to Marduk, but the statement gave me some insight into the workings of the Council.

“I doubt he can say much that will save his life, but he will be granted the opportunity,” she said, looking none too pleased at being challenged by me.

“You are too kind, Alcina, as usual,” Marduk sneered. “But a trial will not be necessary.” From behind Marduk, another vampire that had been in his party stepped forward. He looked like Cressida’s twin brother, with golden curls and yellow eyes. He could have been a model for any of Michelangelo’s statues, including David.

The vampire was holding a now unconscious Daniel in his arms. “This is one of yours, is he not?” Marduk asked me, like he was offering me a cup of tea.

I tensed, my muscles bunching painfully in my neck and shoulders. “Hand him over,” I said between clenched teeth.

“But of course, as long as you allow me free passage through the rift.”

“No!” barked Alcina.

Turning to me, she said, “We cannot sacrifice all we have done for the sake of one human boy. This is war, and in war, there are casualties. It is the Council’s decision, and we will not allow Marduk to walk away from this. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t really sound like she was sorry. Although, it did seem almost absurd that we would have fought for so long and hard tonight against this enemy only to allow him to walk away in the end when we had him dead to rights. However, Daniel was my family, more so than Marduk, and I wasn’t about to lose him.

“Release him and go,” I said to Marduk.

A satisfied smile crept across his face, right before a high-pitched scream pierced the air. I spun to face Alcina, who was in the throes of a tantrum. Her face turned bright red, and her small fists were clenched at her sides. It would have been amusing if not for the knowledge that the little brat could raise serious hell on Earth.

She lifted her glowing staff and threw out a bolt of white hot electricity aimed for Marduk. I dove out of its path, the fine hairs all over my body standing on end from the static electricity.

The bolt hit the ground where Marduk had been standing only a split second earlier. The vampire had moved faster than lightning to pull Marduk out of the way. The creatures in his army were forming a wall around him, and they were all moving him quickly toward the rift.

“Stop!” I screamed at Alcina. “They are going to take Daniel with them if you don’t stop.” She was beyond hearing though.

She threw another bolt, blasting one of the gargoyles into rubble.

“Marduk, leave him,” I screamed at my father.

The vampire was still holding Daniel and looked to Marduk for orders. Marduk paused long enough to give me a wolfish grin and said, “Under the circumstances, I think I would be better off with a hostage, my dear. I’m sure you understand.” Then they were gone, stepping through the rift and into the void beyond.

With all of her fury fueling her magic, Alcina threw one last bolt at Marduk as he retreated through the rift, barely missing him. Instead, the blast caught the edge of the gateway, creating instability. The doorway shuddered, throwing off sparks, its edges contracting and expanding wildly. Everyone in the vicinity backed away to a safer distance. The portal collapsed with a searing flash of light and an invisible concussive wave that slammed into us, knocking us all off our feet. Then the night was quiet and dark once again.

I had just gotten unsteadily back to my feet, leaning on Sharur for assistance, when Alcina came at me like a feral kitten. “This is all your fault!” she raged. “Because of you, he escaped. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to get him in a position where he could be arrested?”

Ronin stepped up behind her, placing a restraining and comforting hand on her shoulder. It made her pause, and I could see her forcibly trying to regain her composure.

“At least we can salvage some of this mess. Give me the axe, as we agreed.”

“I didn’t agree to that,” I reminded her. “We agreed to discuss the disposition of Sharur after we won the battle.”

“Fine. Sharur belongs under the protection of the Mage Council. You have no right to claim it. Consider the matter discussed. Now, hand it over,” she retorted with her staff glowing again. The threat was clear.

I clutched the axe tighter, knuckles whitening, frantically trying to think of a way out of this where I got to keep Sharur. However, Alcina would never allow it, not under any circumstances. Eddie came up close beside me in dragon form. He must have shifted unnoticed while Alcina had been throwing her tantrum. Our eyes met in a wordless exchange.

I slid an arm across his scaly neck, grabbed onto one of the horns adorning his head, and vaulted myself onto his back right as Eddie spread his wings and made a powerful leap into the air. When a bolt of electricity chased us into the sky, Eddie banked sharply to the left to avoid being hit. I almost fell from his back, scrambling to gain a better hand hold.

The other dozen dragons lifted into the sky, as well, in a flurry of wings and fire. They spit streams of flames in the direction of the small group, forcing them to scatter. The elves, with Jason, regrouped and retreated from the stadium, having no interest in lending the mages their support. The manticores fumbled about confused and without a master until Alcina took out her rage on them, slaughtering every last one with lightning.

Before the mages retreated, I saw them pull a body from the carnage and carry it out of the stadium. Based on size and build, I was pretty certain it was Alex. Was he still alive, or were they recovering his corpse to give him an appropriate burial? I tried to follow them, but they were quickly swallowed by the darkness surrounding the stadium. I refused to believe that the strong, steadfast, determined man who had just started to become a friend could be gone forever. I decided in that moment to believe he was still alive, and to find him.

Eddie and his clan climbed on air currents until we were high above the city, unseen. The cool air rushing past my face and through my hair felt exhilarating and cleansing. The soft beating of dragon wings was comforting, and all I wanted to do was sleep for days or maybe weeks. I rested my head on Eddie’s warm neck and gazed at the sparkling splendor of Manhattan below us.

My beautiful, crazy, uncaring, soulful, hard, and loving city. It was a city of contradictions, and I supposed I was too. Born of an evil man, loved by an insane man, defined by my job as a killer, and yet, the unlikely savior of humanity. I laughed quietly until I remembered this had only been the beginning.

Some creatures had escaped the stadium and would be roaming the city, looking for places to hide and people to eat. The mages would not let Sharur go so easily. I would be hunted relentlessly by the Council as well as the U.S. government. I had to find Alex, and hope I could convince him to take my side over the Council’s.

I had also made a promise to Nathan and I fully expected he would hold me to it. I didn’t know Nathan’s true purpose in all of this, nor did I know how Vincent Darko fit into the picture — the two men were mysteries I was determined to solve. Most importantly, I needed to find a way to rescue Daniel from Marduk. And, the hardest of all, I had to fulfill my vow to Zane. Though, for now, I needed sleep.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift into a dreamless slumber while Eddie carried me to safety. I didn’t know where that was; however, for some reason, I trusted him. I would figure out the rest later.