Warped Destinies: Tales of Terrara Vikos #4 Read online

  The convict chuckled again, “I didn’t want to overwhelm you, Milord.”

  “Open your eyes, traitor.” When Donovan just kept chuckling, Morgan ordered, “Godammit, Donovan! Open them!”

  “I don’t take your orders anymore, Morgan. There’s only one person on this planet that I obey anymore.”

  Morgan finally snapped. He threw out a hand and barked, “Visió Oberta!”

  Instantly, Donovan’s eyes opened, and a ripple shot out from the criminal and shoved Morgan to the ground next to his son. Shaking the sudden dizziness from his head, his eyes landed on Donovan, whose irises were now a frightening shade of icy blue.

  “D-Donovan…”

  The man’s bright white smile unnerved him, as did the unsettling magical signature mixed in with Donovan’s. “See? I warned you. I’m no good at holding back this magic yet except when my eyes are shut. It’s going to take a lot of practice to get any good at it, but that’s why I’ve got MonReneix. They’re my backup.”

  Donovan winced suddenly, and then, looked back up at Morgan. “So, where is he?”

  Morgan snapped sarcastically, “Who? Loren?”

  A teasing smile crossed the criminal’s face. “Why would I be looking for a dead man?”

  Morgan struggled to get back to his feet, but the staggering amount of magic made it very difficult, even for someone like him. That magic could only belong to one despicable being.

  “Because you have the Seeker’s magic in you.”

  Donovan laughed, “Loren’s been dead for hundreds of years, Morgan. The Seeker is after more than just Loren this time. So, I’ll ask again.” To emphasize, he jerked Jezebel up and pressed the blade closer to her throat. “Where’s the boy?”

  Eyes narrowing, Morgan barked, “How should I know? You kidnapped him, you bastard!” The confused look in Donovan’s eyes made Morgan even madder.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Donovan replied.

  Morgan’s fists clenched tighter. “You’re lying. I know it was you. Lucian didn’t disappear until after you broke out of prison. It had to be you.”

  Donovan’s face was blank for a few seconds, before a cunning smile crossed it. “I assure you that I was not the one to take him, Morgan. Either a very talented person took him, or he ran away. I must say that I envy that kidnapper at this point. Oh, and in case you didn’t realize this: the only reason a child with that much power could get kidnapped is if his mind was distracted. You didn’t happen to do something to upset him, did you, Milord?”

  Chuckling to himself, Donovan shoved Jezebel into the Realm Leader, the couple toppling to the floor. As Morgan looked up, he watched black smoke surround the criminal. Once it had cleared, Donovan was gone.

  As he cursed to himself, he heard a soft voice cry, “Daddy?” Morgan spun back around to Michael. Looking down, he saw that the blood from the cuts still covered his hands, but the engravings were healed.

  Rubbing his thumb across the back of Michael’s hand, Morgan murmured softly, “It’s alright, Michael. He’s gone.”

  His son smiled happily. “Goodie, ‘cuz he was meaner than the first time I saws him.” Michael’s eyes slowly closed, his breathing evening out as he fell asleep. An Ascential healed faster when they slept, and since the boy was a Gallager, he had magic to spare. He’d probably be back to normal in about three days. Morgan knew this, but that did nothing to soothe his heart and mind.

  A few moments later, his head doctor ran into the room, followed by a few of his guards. Morgan looked up, surprised. “How…” His eyes landed on Jezebel, who was standing nervously by the intercom. While the doctor picked Michael up in his gentle arms, Morgan stood up and walked to his wife quickly. Enfolding his arms around her, he held her tight to him. She hugged him hard, crying into his shoulder.

  The past couple of days must have been hard on her. First, Lucian, her stepson, disappears, right when they were starting to really bond, and then she watched her own six-year-old son get tortured.

  Hugging her tight, he whispered in her ear, “Everything’s going to be okay, Jez. I promise.”

  After a couple of silent seconds, a guard asked, “Sir?”

  Morgan lifted his head, eventually releasing his wife from his iron grip. “Yes?”

  “Would you like us to look for the man that did this?”

  Shaking his head, he replied, “No. Donovan will be long gone by then. But…” He ran their conversation through his head quickly. His eyes narrowing, he ordered, “Get me the Protektor’s Alliance. I need to ask them about a group called MonReneix.”

  ***

  This was a piece of cake. They had me do this obstacle course for the first few days after I healed, but told me it wasn’t necessary to continue since I was trained enough already. I properly ignored them and continued to do it every morning at least twice.

  The sun beat down on me, bringing drops of sweat to my skin. I wore a simple grey tee and gym shorts that I’d found in my closet. They’d explained to me briefly that they’d checked the sizes of my clothes when I was passed out and supplied me with probably enough garments in my wardrobe to clothe a whole tribe of natives. With a grunt, I swung myself to the next rung of the monkey bars, using my momentum to propel myself to the next.

  I’d been at the MonReneix base for about a week now. Occasionally, my mind would wander back to my dad and my family, but I would get over missing them pretty quickly. I liked to think my father, if he’d known what I was doing at the time, would have been proud of me. After all, I was using the values he’d ingrained in me since I was a child: bravery, devotion, and duty to my citizens. A true Realm Leader wouldn’t abandon anyone, no matter what type of being they were.

  And, as I soon found out, there were a lot of beings here. They ranged from korrigans and daemons, to vampires, kitsunes, and werewolves. However, the group that outnumbered all of them was the Ascentials, which is where I fell into a category. Ascentials were described by folklorists as part-demon magicians, which was a fairly good description. However, just because we had demonic blood doesn’t mean we are like the evil demons that haunt the dreams of mundanes.

  As a part of my job, I had to train everyone, and not just Ascential children. Up until this point, I’d only had to work with the kids like me, but Drake told me that I would eventually take over after I’d learned about all of them. I didn’t bother to point out that I knew almost everything there is to know about the Realm and its inhabitants. That would raise a red flag. While the Falcones were well-educated, it was nothing compared to my knowledge as future Realm Leader.

  “Yo, Bryan!”

  I dangled about three-quarters of the way across the bars and looked down to find Drake smiling up at me. He seemed super perky about something.

  “Yeah?” I called in response.

  He waved a hand as a gesture for me to come to ground level. Rolling my eyes, I swung myself back. When my body pitched forward, I released my hold on the bars and dropped about eight feet to the sandy floor in a crouch.

  Straightening up, I asked, “What’s up, Drake?”

  “You’re coming with us this time.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Coming with you? Where?”

  Drake’s grin widened. “Follow me.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started leading me back to the main building. I could feel his eagerness and excitement radiating off him. While I could feel this, I still couldn’t feel his full level of magic. In fact, there hadn’t been a single moment in my time there when I sensed even a fraction of his powers. Nothing. At first, I’d considered the fact that he had none, but he had performed magic while I’d been there. But, I still couldn’t get a grasp of his true potential. As much as I liked the teacher, I had to consider the possibility that he was the Seeker. After all, not many regular Ascentials could block their magic from the Protektor’s senses.

  We walked through the halls of the main structure, finally getting back to the barracks the kids and I lived in. A
s we walked through the rows of empty beds, I started getting suspicious.

  “Where are the kids?” I asked worriedly.

  Drake waved a dismissive hand. “They’re fine, I promise, bud. Some are at training and others are getting tested.”

  “Tested?” My worry only increased with his words.

  “Yeah, we have to make sure that they are strong enough to carry out their ultimate job of changing this world. If not, we get rid of them.”

  I had a sickening feeling that meant worse than it sounded. Drake glanced at me and quickly explained, “No, Bryan, it’s not what you think. We take them to a foster home that helps us out.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why can’t they just go home?”

  Drake stopped in front of my room’s door and replied sadly, “The Boss wanted to torture the kids and send them home, as a warning to the Realm Leader. After the first kid went home, I learned that the kid became possessed due to him, and it ended badly for the child. I went straight to him and demanded a change. Surprisingly, he agreed. So, we send them to the home for safety.”

  As much as I wanted to voice my opinion, I stayed quiet. After we finally entered my room at the back of the barracks, Drake shut the door behind us. My eyes eventually landed on the clothes that had been placed on my bed.

  I asked, “What are those for?”

  A wide smile crossed Drake’s face. “I told you. You’re coming with us!”

  “Coming with you where?” I walked over to the bed and lifted the shirt up to get a better look at it. It was completely black, with the symbol of MonReneix plastered in bright white on the chest.

  Drake replied, “On a mission. We’re going to recruit another person to our cause.”

  I snapped bitterly, “You mean kidnap another child?”

  Raising an eyebrow, Drake responded, “Kidnapping is such a nasty word, Bryan. Think of it more as liberating. Besides, this one is about your age. You may know her. She went to Rolling Hills too.”

  I stiffened, scared for the worst. Taking a shaky breath, I asked, “Who?”

  Drake smiled and told me the one name I didn’t want to hear:

  “Kimberly Garibaldi.”

  ***

  Morgan sat in his office chair, resting his head on the desk. He had never been this tense before in his life. After what happened the night before, he was even more unsettled than before. Donovan’s eyes… the change only meant one thing:

  Donovan had been possessed by the Seeker.

  It would explain how he was able to get out of Tortura Mortalle. However, it didn’t explain the assumption that the Seeker was an adult. The older a member of the Profecia is, the harder it is for the spirits of the originals to exchange bodies. A thought poked at his mind that the Seeker wasn’t an adult. It could have been quite possible he was a child, or even not born yet. This would have been wonderful news! If Lucian hadn’t been kidnapped, that is.

  “Lord Morgan?”

  Morgan quickly lifted his head, a report from his desk stuck to his cheek. Ripping it off and putting it back on the desk, he directed his attention to the guard that had addressed him.

  “Yes, Mitchell?”

  The young guard told him, “Sir Titus is here to see you, Milord.”

  Waving a hand, Morgan replied, “Send him in.”

  Mitchell bowed and said, “Yes, sir.”

  Morgan waited impatiently in his office. Hopefully, Titus would have some answers for him. He needed some idea of what he was dealing with.

  After what seemed like forever, Titus entered the room with a messenger back across his shoulder. The man’s greying hair was slicked back with hair gel for a more professional look. He walked up to Morgan’s desk and held out a hand.

  With a small smile, Morgan stood up and shook the man’s hand. “Good to see you again, old chap. Take a seat.”

  Titus immediately sat down, his blue eyes suddenly very interested in the floor. “So… you want to know about MonReneix?”

  Morgan replied, “Yes, that’s kind of why I called you down here.”

  “Well… Um, you need to understand, Milord, that we’re trying to keep this under wraps.”

  Under wraps? If it was that serious of a problem, why was it he hadn’t been informed? He felt his anger increasing as a result of the fear for his son. Trying to keep his diplomacy intact, he forced a smile.

  “What I don’t understand is why I was not aware of this issue, Titus.”

  The man started stuttering, “I apologize, Sir. We didn’t want to inform you until we knew enough about this group.”

  “And how does the Protektor’s Alliance not have the capabilities to get such information?”

  Titus twiddled with his hands. “We had a man investigating it, but he disappeared without a trace about a year ago. We’ve been trying to find out where his research left off, but we can’t find his files anywhere.”

  His magic starting to fill the air with his anger, Morgan frowned and snapped, “What information do you have?”

  Reaching a shaky hand into his bag, Titus pulled out a file. “It’s all in there, Milord.” As he handed it to Morgan, he continued, “The most we know is that they are a rebel group that has been kidnapping children for the past few years. It was only about one child every six months, but recently, the kidnappings have become more frequent.”

  Eyes skimming the first paper in the file, Morgan asked, “And how are we sure that it is this rebel organization doing the kidnappings?”

  “Well, for starters, they actually let one little girl go home. She told her parents these stories of a bunch of new kids being brought in and how they were forced to train for a ‘greater purpose’. It was obvious the child had been tortured terribly. When her parents asked her who was doing all this to these poor kids, she replied by showing them a branding on her shoulder and telling them the name if the group: MonReneix. I’m sad to say that within a short amount of time, the child was possessed, and we were ordered to kill the girl when no exorcisms would work.”

  Morgan took a photograph out of the pocket in the file and examined it, his eyes widening. The picture was of the little girl’s shoulder. The symbol was a triangle inside a circle, which was the traditional symbol for the Seeker. Having the Triquetra in the middle didn’t matter at all to him. The fact that the Seeker’s symbol was in this insignia struck even the great Realm Leader with fear.

  “G-go on, Titus,” he said, gripping his blonde hair with his hands to balance the increasing headache.

  Titus straightened and continued, “There’s also another fact we have. At every kidnapping site, there is always a certain magical signature that is there. Someone who the Protektor’s Alliance knows very well.”

  “Who?”

  The man swallowed nervously and replied, “Ashlynn Jaegar.”

  Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Malen’s daughter? But why would her signature be at those sites?”

  Titus stared at the floor as he responded, “We think… that she… Um, defected, Milord.”

  “And what about Malen’s oldest son? That boy was an Alliance prodigy.”

  “Well, he was the one heading the MonReneix research. Disappeared shortly after Ashlynn. There’s no sign that they took him out, but that’s our only conclusion.”

  Morgan leaned forward. “Are you saying they are killing people to get these children?”

  The Alliance leader wrung his hands and replied quietly, “Yes, sir.”

  Morgan’s anger and fear had finally reached its peak. Standing up quickly and shoving all his papers off his desk, he bellowed, “Dammit!”

  As all the papers floated to the ground, he stood there steaming. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he felt partially responsible. If he hadn’t gotten frustrated with Lucian, this would have never happened.

  “Is everything alright, Milord?”

  Morgan snapped back at the man, “No, everything’s not alright! Here’s the information about MonReneix that you don’t know. The leader
of it is Donovan Accardi, and a week ago they kidnapped my son.”

  Titus’s eyes widened. “They kidnapped Lucian? But… they’re associated with the Seeker!”

  Grinding his teeth, the Realm Leader growled, “Yes, they are. Which is why this is now Alpha priority. You will find this organization and anyone to do with it, or else I swear that you’ll be looking at ten years of banishment! Are we clear?”

  His face pale, Titus immediately stood up. “Yes, sir. I’m on it!”

  After the leader of the Protektor’s Alliance ran out of the office, Morgan slowly started picking up the stuff he’d swiped off the desk and placing them back on top. Sitting back in his chair, he picked up a pencil and placed it to the report he’d been trying to fill out before Titus arrived. His hand started shaking, the tip of the pencil not moving from its spot. Suddenly, the force of him gripping the pencil snapped it in half. Once the pencil had broken and fallen to the desk, his hand reflexively squeezed into a fist.

  God, Lucian, I hope you’re alright.

  ***

  God, I don’t want to do this!

  I stood outside of the Garibaldi mansion in the pitch dark of night, clothed in the black garb that MonReneix had supplied me. My face was covered in a black mask, as were all the other MonReneix members out here with me.

  I was squatting down in the bushes with Drake to my right when I was suddenly hit with a huge chill and feeling of a strong magical signature, making me almost fall backwards. It was overwhelming! That amount of magic surpassed even my father.

  Drake apparently felt it too and looked behind them. I turned around as well to find a tall, lanky figure, clothed just like the rest of us, sauntering toward us. There was no doubt about it; this man was the source of the overpowering magic. It seemed vaguely familiar…

  Drake chuckled his signature soft breath of a laugh, “Good to see you made it, Donovan!”

  … And that was why. It seemed my assumptions were correct. Donovan Accardi, my mother’s murderer, was the leader of MonReneix.

  I felt my nerves tense as Donovan walked closer to me. His magical signature was different from that day four years ago, when he tried to kidnap me. Very different. It was almost as if there were two magical signatures meshed together.

  The criminal walked up to Drake and ruffled the top of his head. “Good to see you too, idiot.” I stiffened when Donovan looked at me. “And who’s this, Drake?”